Indian Vegetable Oils Import Down in April

Data from the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) show the country’s import of vegetable oils dropped 13% in April to 911,846 MT from 1,053,347 MT in a similar month last year.  Of this total, edible oil was 900,085 MT, likewise 13% lower than prior year at 1,029,912 MT.  However, the cumulative import for the first six months of the current oil year 2021/2022, November ’21-April ’22 at 6,707,574 MT exceeded by 4% a similar period year-ago total at 6,428,350 MT. 

SEA said sunflower oil import from Ukraine was last received in March at 127,000 MT before the Russia invasion of Ukraine.  Shipment from Russia in the same month was 73,500 MT and Argentina was 11,900 MT.  Since then, however, no shipment from Ukraine took place. The organization estimated sunflower oil import in April to drop substantially to just 80,000 MT mainly coming from Russia and Argentina.  High prices of sunflower oil and lesser availability reduced demand and consumption in the country.  The shortfall is partially being replaced by other edible oils like palm olein, soybean oil, groundnut oil in South India and by refined mustard oil and rice bran oil from North India, SEA wrote.  

During the six-month period, Malaysia was the leading supplier of edible oils with delivery of 1,782,876 MT comprising of crude palm oil, RBD palm olein, and crude palm kernel oil.  Completing the top three suppliers were Argentina at 1,472,237 MT consisting of crude soybean oil and crude sunflower oil; and Indonesia at 1,154,083 MT made up of crude palm oil, RBD palm olein, crude palm kernel oil.  Imports from Ukraine totaled 855,956 MT comprising of crude sunflower oil and crude soybean oil; from Brazil 495,563 MT, solely crude soybean oil; Thailand 256,290 MT composed of crude palm oil, RBD palm olein and crude palm kernel oil; Russia 250,415 MT involving crude sunflower oil and crude soybean oil; USA 123,276 MT, only crude soybean oil; and Others at 152,307 MT, entirely crude soybean oil.