New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- New Delhi: India' crude oil imports are likely to increase in October compared to the past few months, as refineries return to operating at higher capacity after scheduled maintenance and the recent GST cuts boost economic activity and consumer demand, said oil experts.

time data and analytics provider Kpler showed that import in September was 4.6 million barrels per day (bpd), compared to 5.2 million a day as of 16 October. Supplies from the five major suppliers Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the US, and Nigeria has increased to nearly 5 million bpd versus about 4 million bpd in September.

Weakened travel in the latter part of the southwest monsoons this year had also lowered demand for fuel, which now has recovered ...