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Official data released in Thailand this week shows that demand for fuel oil decreased by almost 13 percent in August 2009 compared with the previous year despite an overall rise in oil product sales, Reuters reports.

According to the country's Energy Ministry, demand for oil products, excluding bitumen and liquefied petroleum gas, increased for the fourth consecutive month in August 2009 from a year earlier by 4.3 percent to 537,973 barrels per day.

The rise in demand came at a time when oil prices were relatively low and market optimism had increased on the belief that the global economic climate was improving.

However, despite the upward trend in demand for oil products, fuel oil sales fell by 12.9 percent to 224.4 million litres in August year-on-year. Demand for fuel oil in August 2008 was 257.5 million litres.

(1 barrel = 158.99 litres)