KUWAIT SAYS OPEC 2.4 MLN BPD BELOW CEILING Kuwaiti oil minister Sheikh Ali al-Khalifa al-Sabah said OPEC was producing well below its oil output ceiling and this would help prices move higher, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper interview. The al-Rai al-Aam newspaper quoted him as saying OPEC was pumping 2.4 mln barrels per day (bpd) less than its 15.8 mln bpd ceiling, while consumers were drawing down their petroleum stocks at a rate of 4.5 mln bpd. As long as OPEC maintains its output curbs, demand for its oil will rise in April and May, Sheikh Ali said, adding that Kuwait was strongly committed to its OPEC quota.