Sinopec readies 37.5 pct more diesel for June

BEIJING, June 19 (Reuters) - Sinopec Group has prepared 2.5 million tonnes of diesel to be sold on the domestic market in June, or 37.5 percent more than a year earlier, to meet rising demand in the summer farming season.

The parent of Sinopec (0386.HK) said on a company-run Web site (www.sinopecnews.com.cn) late Wednesday that it had prioritised supplies to major agricultural provinces including Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei and Hubei.

The top refiner in Asia doubled its June fuel imports, mostly diesel and gasoline, and cut production of ethylene and aromatic hydrocarbons to produce more fuel, aimed at easing shortages across China.

Beijing ordered its state-owned oil major to ensure fuel supplies in the run-up to the summer Olympics, but resisted raising state-set pump prices due to concerns of fuelling already high inflation, despite huge refining losses driven by soaring crude costs.

(Reporting by Jim Bai; editing by Jonathan Hopfner)