New Delhi

India’s vegetable oil imports rose 13 per cent during the first half of the 2025–26 oil year, largely driven by a sharp increase in palm oil purchases, according to data released on Wednesday by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India.

The world’s largest edible oil consumer imported 7.94 million tonnes of vegetable oils during the November–April period, compared with 7.04 million tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year. India’s oil marketing year runs from November to October.

In monetary terms, imports during the six-month period climbed 19 per cent to Rs 87,000 crore, up from Rs 73,000 crore a year earlier.

According to the association, edible oils accounted for 7.82 million tonnes of the total imports, while non-edible oils made up about 121,000 tonnes.

Imports of Palm oil nearly doubled to 3.97 million tonnes from 2.74 million tonnes in the same period last year, emerging as the main driver of overall growth.

In contrast, shipments of soft oils — including Soybean oil and Sunflower oil — declined to 3.85 million tonnes from 4.13 million tonnes.

Indonesia and Malaysia remained India’s key palm oil suppliers, while Argentina and Brazil continued to supply most soybean oil imports. Russia and Ukraine remained major sources of sunflower oil.

The industry body noted that edible oil prices have risen sharply over the past year. Palm oil prices were up 14–15 per cent compared with April 2025 levels, while soybean and sunflower oil prices increased between 17 per cent and 22 per cent.

It also highlighted the depreciation of the Indian rupee — down more than 9.2 per cent against the US dollar over the past year — as an added burden on importers and refiners.

Meanwhile, Nepal exported around 2,17,000 tonnes of refined oils to India during the first half of the oil year, mainly refined soybean oil, along with smaller quantities of sunflower oil, RBD palmolein and rapeseed oil.

READ MORE: Abeda Inamdar left a cushy job to change lives through education, social reform

Total vegetable oil stocks in India rose to 2.12 million tonnes in May 2026, compared with 1.35 million tonnes in May last year, indicating stronger supply availability heading into the second half of the oil year.