Fact Check: Media report claiming export of oxygen from India is false, says PIB Fact Check

[Mirage]

Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday claimed that the news report by a private media house that the export of Oxygen from India between April 2020 and January 2021 was over 9,000 metric tonnes is false.

The media house has though referred to the Ministry of Commerce report for the claim according to which, between April 2020 and January 2021, India exported over 9,000 metric tonnes of oxygen and in the financial year 2020, only 4,500 metric tonnes of oxygen were exported but inexplicably, it doubled since.

“From January 2020, when India was exporting 352 metric tonnes of oxygen, the exports increased by a staggering 734 per cent in January 2021.
 

“The country exported 2,193 metric tonnes of oxygen in December – a 308 per cent increase compared to 538 metric tonnes in December 2019.

“The export data for February and March 2021 has not been made public yet,” reported NDTV.

PIB Fact Check on Wednesday tweeted, “A media report claims that export of oxygen from India rose over 700% in Jan’21 vs ’20. #PIBFactCheck: This is #False. Industrial Oxygen Exports are being mistaken as Medical Oxygen. Annual exports were <0.4% of annual capacity and no Oxygen exports are happening now.”

“A social media post is claiming that the export of oxygen from India has increased by 734% between Jan 2020 & Jan 2021. #PIBFactCheck: This claim is #False. Only surplus Industrial Oxygen was exported primarily in low demand months of Dec’20 & Jan’21.”