Edible oil imports in March rise 12% to 11.73 lakh tonne: SEA
Imports of edible oil rose to 11,73,168 tonnes in March from 10,45,281 tonnes in the same period the previous year, the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) said on Monday.
Crude palm oil imports increased from 3,43,949 tonnes in March 2025 to 6,73,965 tonnes last month, according to SEA data.
Non-edible oil imports decreased from 27,742 tons to 13,401 tons.
Imports of vegetable oil (including edible and inedible) increased by 11 per cent to 11,86,569 tonnes last month from 10,73,023 tonnes in March 2025.
India imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia and soybean oil from Argentina and Brazil. The country meets more than half of its domestic demand through imports.
Total vegetable oil imports in the first five months of the 2025-26 marketing year increased by 8 percent to 65,72,131 tonnes from 60,96,923 tonnes in the same period of the previous year. The edible oil marketing year runs from November to October.
“Going forward, imports are likely to remain low in the short term unless global prices soften or foreign exchange conditions improve,” SEA said.
In the long term, India can continue to balance imports with greater focus on domestic oilseed production and source diversification to reduce geopolitical risks, the association said.
SEA stated that edible oil imports in March 2026 fell 10 per cent to 11.73 lakh tonnes from 12.92 lakh tonnes in the previous month.
“The month-on-month decline in March indicates a clear demand correction due to higher international prices, depreciation of rupee and easy domestic availability of mustard crop in particular,” the association said.
SEA said the sharp increase in imports between December 2025 and February 2026 indicates front-loading by importers due to concerns about global supply disruptions due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine dispute affecting sunflower oil in particular, supply-side uncertainties for palm oil in Southeast Asia, and rising freight costs linked to West Asian tensions.
“Moreover, strong global demand, including a shift towards biofuels in major producing countries, has kept prices stable, prompting Indian refiners to adopt a cautious ‘wait and watch’ approach.”
