2 weeks ago
India's Edible Oil Imports Fall 8% To 14.81 Lakh Tonnes
India needs a lot of cooking oil for its people.
It buys a good portion of that oil from other countries.
In July, India bought less edible oil than it did in the same month last year.
The amount fell by 8 percent to 14.81 lakh tonnes.
Imports of all vegetable oils also dropped by 7 percent.
One big change is that India is buying more crude palm oil, which needs processing, and less ready-to-use refined oil.
Over the first nine months of the oil year, though, India has imported more edible oil than before.
India buys palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia, and soyabean oil from Argentina and Brazil.
About 60 percent of domestic cooking oil demand is met through imports.
The figures come from a trade body called the Solvent Extractors' Association of India.
India's edible oil imports fell 8 percent year-on-year to 14.81 lakh tonnes in July, according to the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).
Total vegetable oil (edible and non-edible) imports declined 7 percent to 15.25 lakh tonnes in July 2026 from 16.48 lakh tonnes a year earlier.
In the first nine months of the 2025-26 oil year, total edible oil imports rose 5 percent to 119.23 lakh tonnes from 113.46 lakh tonnes.
The share of refined oils in the import basket dropped sharply to 4 percent from 14 percent, while crude oil's share rose to 96 percent from 86 percent.
Around 60 percent of India's domestic edible oil demand is met through imports, with palm oil sourced from Malaysia and Indonesia and soyabean oil from Argentina and Brazil.
- Who
- The Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the industry body that released the import data.
- What
- India's edible oil imports fell 8 percent to 14.81 lakh tonnes in July, while total vegetable oil imports declined 7 percent to 15.25 lakh tonnes.
- Where
- India, which imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia and soyabean oil from Argentina and Brazil.
- When
- July 2026; the data was released in a statement on August 13, 2026.
- Why
- The decline comes amid a sharp shift toward crude oil imports — crude's share rose to 96 percent from 86 percent — and India relies on imports for about 60 percent of its edible oil demand.
Key facts
- Edible oil imports (July)
- 14.81 lakh tonnes
- Year-on-year change
- Down 8 percent from 16.16 lakh tonnes
- Vegetable oil imports (July)
- 15.25 lakh tonnes, down 7 percent YoY
- Oil year 2025-26 edible oil imports (Nov 2025-July 2026)
- 119.23 lakh tonnes, up 5 percent
- Refined oils share of imports
- 4 percent (down from 14 percent)
- Crude oil share of imports
- 96 percent (up from 86 percent)
- Import reliance
- About 60 percent of domestic edible oil demand met through imports
- Key suppliers
- Palm oil: Malaysia, Indonesia; soyabean oil: Argentina, Brazil
Sources
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