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India's crude oil imports in January slipped from one-year highs hit in the previous month, though fuel demand is expected to recover as several states ease coronavirus restrictions after a decline in cases.

Crude oil imports fell about 1.7% to 19.26 million tonnes last month from a year earlier, government data on the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) showed on Friday. Lower imports corresponded with the country's oil demand falling 0.2% on an annual basis in January.

Imports decreased by over 2.6% from the previous month but were 2.9% higher from pre-pandemic levels of December 2019.

"Despite what appears to be a challenging start to the year, we expect that demand growth is likely to regain momentum as COVID restrictions are relaxed," the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly report.

For 2022, the IEA sees a y-o-y growth of 320,000 barrels per day (bpd), which would surpass the 2019 rate by 40,000 bpd, with LPG/ethane, gasoline and naphtha rising the most.

Oil product imports rose 12.4% to 3.43 million tonnes from a year earlier, while exports jumped 14.4%. Of the 5.07 million tonnes of exports in January, diesel accounted for 2.57 million tonnes.

Refiners in Asia are waiting to resume imports from Iran amid hopes of an agreement to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. A refiner from India, Iran's No. 2 customer, is in talks with Iran for sourcing its oil, an Indian refining source said.

India's oil imports from Iraq surged to a 29-month high in January, data from shipping and industry sources showed.

January oil imports of India's Reliance Industries, owner of the world's biggest refining complex, jumped about 8.3% from December and but fell 4.8% from a year earlier, according to trade data.