Medical oxygen export less than 0.4% of total production, says govt; slams fake reports

The Central government on Wednesday issued a clarification on media reports claiming that India exported nearly 9,300 metric tonnes of oxygen in the fiscal year 2020-21 despite reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic. Terming the claims as part of a ‘malicious propaganda’ government sources stated that the reports have mistaken industrial oxygen as medical oxygen.

“Malicious propaganda is being spread that India had exported scarce medical oxygen during the pandemic year of 2020-21. This is absolutely false and industrial oxygen exports are being mistaken as medical oxygen. There are 2 categories of exports of liquid oxygen, Medical and others (industrial),” ANI quoted government sources as saying.

It further clarified that during the fiscal year 2021, India exported 9,884 MT of Industrial Oxygen while only 12 MT of Medical Oxygen was shipped abroad. This annual export is less than 0.4% of the total annual production capacity in India, sources added.

“Majority of this industrial oxygen was exported in December and January when medical oxygen consumption reduced to 1,418 MT/day from 2,675 MT/day in September, against the 7000 MT/day capacity. This resulted in no threat to medical oxygen supply while protecting jobs in the oxygen industry,” the government officials said.

For the past couple of days, various reports have surfaced in the media claiming that India exported twice as much oxygen to the world during the first ten months of fiscal 2020-21 as compared to the entire financial year before it.

Oxygen supply grim in India

Amid the second wave of the pandemic, India has been running short on Medical oxygen, which a crucial resource in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients. The event has resulted in a tremendously high oxygen demand across the country. On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal informed that certain hospitals have medical oxygen only sufficient for a few hours. A similar crisis exists is being reported in other parts of the nation too. Maharashtra, which accounts for almost 60% of infections in India, requested the Centre for more medical oxygen as the rising number of patients was quickly depleting the reserves.

On April 18, the central government ordered that the supply of oxygen to industries except a few, should be diverted to the hospitals. On April 19, several cryogenic tankers aboard the Indian Railways' 'Oxygen Express' were dispatched to various industrial areas to receive and ferry liquid oxygen to the states.

The government is also planning to set up 162 pressure swing adsorption oxygen plants in public health facilities, that will augment medical oxygen capacity by 154.19 MT.

Medical oxygen export less than 0.4% of total production during pandemic, says govt, slams fake reports