India's vegetable oil imports surge 13% to 7.94 mt in Apr-Nov as palm oil nearly doubles
H1 OY2025-26 imports hit 7.94 mt vs 7.04 mt YoY, with palm oil jumping to 3.97 mt from 2.74 mt. Import bill up 19% to Rs 87,000 crore as palm prices rose 14-15%, soft oils 17-22%, and rupee slid 9.2%. Stocks swell to 2.12 mt, pressuring domestic refiners and FMCG input costs.
What happened
Solvent Extractors' Association of India · India's vegetable oil imports rose 13% YoY to 7.94 mt in H1 OY2025-26, driven by palm oil nearly doubling to 3.97 mt.
Key facts
- 7.94 million tonnes
- 7.04 million tonnes
- 13% YoY volume rise
- Rs 87,000 crore
- Rs 73,000 crore
- 19% value rise
- 3.97 million tonnes palm oil
- 2.74 million tonnes palm oil prior
- 3.85 million tonnes soft oils
- 4.13 million tonnes soft oils prior
- 121,000 tonnes non-edible
- 217,000 tonnes Nepal refined oils
- palm oil prices up 14-15%
- soybean/sunflower up 17-22%
- rupee down 9.2%
- stocks 2.12 mt May 2026 vs 1.35 mt May 2025
Why this matters
Rising import dependency (palm nearly doubled to 3.97 mt) and a Rs 87,000 cr bill create a window to acquire distressed domestic oilseed crushers or lock supply JVs with Indonesian/Malaysian palm producers.