Data Alert
India Jun veg oil imports dn 29% YoY on low palm oil buys - SEA
This story was originally published at 16:02 IST on 14 July 2026
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--SEA: India Jun edible oil imports 1.1 mln tn vs 1.6 mln tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jun vegetable oil imports 1.15 mln tn vs 1.62 mln tn yr ago
--SEA: India Nov-Jun veg oil imports 10.6 mln tn vs 9.96 mln tn year ago
--SEA: India Nov-Jun edible oil imports 10.4 mln tn vs 9.73 mln tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jun sunflower oil imports 242,870 tn vs 216,141 tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jun crude soyoil imports 380,815 tn vs 359,504 tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jun RBD palmolein imports nil vs 164,376 tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jun crude palm oil imports 486,863 tn vs 788,143 tn yr ago
--SEA: India Nov-Jun crude soyoil imports 2.98 mln tn vs 3.03 mln yr ago
--SEA: India Nov-Jun crude palm oil imports 4.94 mln tn vs 3.26 mln tn yr ago
--SEA: India Nov-Jun sunflower oil imports 2.07 mln tn vs 1.89 mln tn yr ago
--SEA: India Nov-Jun RBD palmolein imports 51,278 tn vs 991,176 tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jul 1 edible oil stock in pipeline 1.1 mln tn 828,000 tn yr ago
--SEA: India Jul 1 edible oil stocks at ports 906,000 tn vs 740,000 tn yr ago
MUMBAI – India's import of vegetable oils, comprising edible and non-edible oils, declined 29% on year to 1.15 million tonnes in June, driven by a collapse in palm oil demand as it became costlier than soft oils. Despite the decline in June, cumulative vegetable oil imports during Nov-Jun rose over 6% to 10.6 million tonnes from 9.96 million tonnes a year ago, according to data released by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India on Tuesday.
SEA said that the "substantial decline in June" imports has "moderated" the pace of cumulative growth of inbound shipments in the current edible oil year ending October.
India's palm oil imports declined over 38% on year in June, as the oil demand rose in Indonesia, Malaysia, and US to meet biofuel blending mandates amid elevated crude oil prices. "These policies are pulling millions of tonnes of vegetable oils out of the food economy and into the fuel economy, driving up global spot prices," SEA said.
Despite lower crude palm oil imports in June, palm oil remained the top imported oil at 486,863 tonnes, followed by crude soyoil. Crude soyoil imports rose nearly 6% on year in June to 380,815 tonnes as palm oil became costlier. Palm oil discounts "vanished" and dropped below $50 a tonne against soyoil, SEA said, adding that this prompted buyers to shift to soft oil such as soyoil. Meanwhile, crude sunflower oil imports rose over 12% on year to 242,870 tonnes, mainly imported from Russia.
Total edible oil imports declined more than 30% in June to 1.1 million tonnes, but rose nearly 7% on year to 10.4 million tonnes in the last eight months, SEA said.
India did not import any refined edible oils in the last two months from major exporters and imported only crude forms of palm oil, soyoil, and sunflower oil. However, India continued to import refined cooking oils through Nepal at nil duty under the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement.
"In May 2026, Nepal's refined oil exports to India were estimated at around 54,000 tonnes and 32,000 tonnes in June 2026, consisting mainly of refined soybean oil, along with smaller quantities of sunflower oil and RBD Palmolein," SEA said.
Indonesia and Malaysia were the dominant suppliers of palm oil to India. Argentina emerged as the largest supplier of soybean oil, followed by Brazil. Russia, Argentina, and Ukraine were the major sources of sunflower oil imports, SEA said.
As of Jul. 1, domestic edible oil stocks at various ports were estimated at 906,000 tonnes, up from 740,000 tonnes a year earlier. Pipeline stocks, considering domestic production and consumption, were reported at 1.10 million tonnes, up from 828,000 tonnes, the association said.
On prices, crude palm oil price rose 17% on year in June, soyoil rose 14%, and sunflower rose 19% on year, SEA said, adding that a depreciating rupee is raising the cost of importing edible oil.
While the lion's share of vegetable oil imports is edible oils, smaller quantities of non-edible oils such as palm fatty acid distillate and refined, bleached, and deodorized palm stearin are imported by the soap and oleochemical industries.
The following table details edible oil imports in June and Nov-Jun, in tonnes, compared with year-ago levels, with the change in percentage, according to data from the SEA:
| Edible oil | Jun-26 | Jun-25 | Change (in%) | Nov-Jun 2026 | Nov-Jun 2025 | Change (in%) |
| Crude palm oil | 486,863 | 788,143 | -38.2 | 4,942,619 | 3,259,069 | 51.7 |
| RBD palmolein | 164,376 | -100 | 51,278 | 991,176 | -95 | |
| Crude soyoil | 380,815 | 359,504 | 5.9 | 2,975946 | 3,030,493 | -1.8 |
| Crude sunflower oil | 242,870 | 216,141 | 12.4 | 2,074,087 | 1,892,525 | 9.6 |
| Total edible oils | 1,111,531 | 1,597,995 | -30.4 | 10,387,572 | 9,729,361 | 6.7 |
| Total vegetable oils | 1,146,958 | 1,616,492 | -29.1 | 10,570,709 | 9,955,363 | 6.2 |
End
US$1 = INR 96.19
Reported by Afra Abubacker
Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury
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