India’s Half Year Vegetable Oils Import Up 13 Percent

Data from the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) showed the country’s imports of vegetable oils (edible and non-edible) in the first six months of the oil year 2025/2026 (November 2025-April 2026) increased 13 percent to 7.937 million MT from 7.043 million MT at the same time a year earlier. Of the total imports, edible oils were 7.816 million MT and non-edible oils 121,500 MT.

The increase was driven by a sharp rise in palm oil shipments, SEA said. Volume nearly doubled at 3.967 million MT from 2.744 million MT while soft oils, which included soybean oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil, fell to 3.849 million MT from 4.132 million MT. Country-wise, Indonesia and Malaysia are the primary suppliers of palm oil to India.  Argentina, on the other hand, is the top supplier of soybean oil, followed by Brazil, while Russia and Ukraine are the major sources of sunflower oil.

For the month of April, imports leaped 34% to 1.310 million MT from 975,000 MT.  The total comprised 1.308 million MT edible oil and 2,200 MT non-edible oil. Palm oil import during the month dropped 34 percent to 505,000 MT due to weak demand and higher prices, making a shift in purchasing patterns, SEA said.  Sunflower oil imports more than doubled, and soybean oil imports hiked 25 percent month-on-month as refiners shifted to alternatives.