India's edible oil imports climb 3% to 166.51L tonnes in FY26 as Nepal duty-free shipments spike 113%

SEA data shows FY26 edible oil imports at 166.51 lakh tonnes vs 161.82 lakh tonnes a year earlier. Duty-free refined oil inflows from Nepal under SAFTA more than doubled to 7.36 lakh tonnes from 3.45 lakh tonnes, pressuring domestic refiners as local production still covers just 40% of demand.

— Source publishedTue, 19 May, 2026, 11:43 IST·First seen Tue, 19 May, 2026, 11:49 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

Solvent Extractors' Association of India · India's edible oil imports rose 3% to 166.51 lakh tonnes in FY26, driven by a 113% surge in duty-free refined oil

Key facts

  • 166.51 lakh tonnes
  • 3%
  • 161.82 lakh tonnes
  • 7.36 lakh tonnes
  • 3.45 lakh tonnes
  • 113%
  • 40%

Why this matters

The Nepal duty-free arbitrage opens an M&A or JV thesis around cross-border refining/packaging assets before policy tightens, so map Nepal-based refiners and SAFTA-exposed Indian targets this quarter.