6 days ago
India and Mozambique Explore Sustainable Oilseed Trade Corridor
India uses edible oil to make many foods, but it currently depends heavily on a limited number of supply sources.
A group representing India’s oil industry wants to study buying more oilseeds from Mozambique.
The province of Nampula already has farmers growing crops such as groundnuts, soybeans and sesame.
It also has transport links to a port that could send products to India.
The two sides signed an agreement to study whether this trade route could work.
They will look at farming, storage, roads, shipping, costs and rules.
Sustainability groups will help ensure that farmers are treated fairly and forests are protected.
No final investment or commercial supply decision has been made yet.
India’s Solvent Extractors’ Association and Mozambique’s Nampula Province signed a Statement of Interest to explore an oilseed and vegetable-oil corridor.
The three-year exploratory phase will assess crops, production potential, investment needs, infrastructure, markets, costs and environmental safeguards.
Nampula already produces groundnut, soybean and sesame, and has road and rail access to the Port of Nacala.
The corridor is intended to diversify India’s edible-oil supply while creating local processing, employment and farmer-market opportunities in Mozambique.
Solidaridad organisations will advise on land rights, forest protection, farmer inclusion, traceability and responsible production.
- Who
- The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, Nampula Province in Mozambique, and Solidaridad Network Asia and Solidaridad Southern Africa.
- What
- They signed a Statement of Interest to explore a sustainable oilseed and vegetable-oil corridor linking Nampula with India.
- Where
- The agreement was signed in Mumbai, India, and would involve Nampula Province and the Port of Nacala in Mozambique.
- When
- The agreement was signed on a Wednesday on the sidelines of Globoil India 2026; the report was published October 1, 2026.
- Why
- The partners want to assess a new source of edible oils for India while supporting farming, processing, jobs and responsible land use in Nampula.
Key facts
- Agreement
- Statement of Interest for an oilseed and vegetable-oil corridor
- Exploration period
- Three years
- Mozambican province
- Nampula
- Existing crops
- Groundnut, soybean and sesame
- Transport route
- Nacala Development Corridor and Port of Nacala
- Potential activities
- Cultivation, aggregation, crushing and refining
- Sustainability focus
- Land rights, farmer consultation, traceability, water management and forest protection
Quotes
Angshu Mallick
President of SEA and Executive Deputy Chairman of AWL Agri Business Ltd
“Indian industry needs three things from any new origin: consistent volumes year after year, quality that meets our specifications, and a landed cost that competes with established suppliers. Nampula’s position on the Indian Ocean gives it a head start on freight and transit time. If we can pair that with organised farmers, good seed, and local aggregation and crushing, Mozambique can become a dependable supply partner for India and not just an occasional one.”
thehindubusinessline.com
“We have signed this knowing that our customers and regulators now expect oil that is traceable and responsibly produced, and that is how this partnership has been designed from the first day.”
thehindubusinessline.com
Eduardo Mariamo Abdula
Governor of Nampula Province
“Nampula has the land, the farmers and the port. What we need are partners who will build with us. I invite the members of the SEA to come to Nampula, to invest in crushing and refining here, to buy from our farmers and to employ our young people. We want our oilseeds to reach Indian kitchens and to feed our own families, and every mill built in Nampula is a job that stays in Nampula.”
thehindubusinessline.com
Sources
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