New Delhi, October 15, 2026: India’s edible oil imports fell 7% in September to 15.44 lakh tonnes, mainly due to a sharp decline in shipments of crude sunflower oil, according to industry body the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).
Imports stood at 16.58 lakh tonnes in the same month last year.
According to data released by the SEA on Thursday, imports of crude sunflower oil in September plunged to nearly 1.05 lakh tonnes from 2.72 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.
However, total edible oil imports rose 3% to 151.64 lakh tonnes in the first 11 months of the 2025-26 oil year (November-October), compared with 146.83 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous oil year.
Total vegetable oil imports, including edible and non-edible oils, stood at 154.64 lakh tonnes from November 2025 to September 2026, compared with 150.31 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.
Refined Oil Imports Decline Sharply
During November 2025 to September 2026, refined oil imports declined sharply to 7,40,441 tonnes from 16,89,228 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year, the SEA said.
As a result, the share of refined oil in total edible oil imports fell to 5% from 12%. This was mainly due to negligible imports of refined palmolein from Indonesia and Malaysia.
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At the same time, imports of crude edible oils rose substantially to 1,44,23,939 tonnes from 1,29,93,972 tonnes, with their share increasing to 95% from 88%.
“The increase was primarily driven by higher imports of crude palm oil, which replaced imports of refined palmolein. Nepal's exports of refined soybean oil to India have also increased significantly,” the association said.
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