PALMOILMAGAZINE, NEW DELHI — India’s palm oil imports surged sharply in August 2025, reaching the highest level in more than a year. The increase was driven by palm oil’s more competitive pricing compared to soybean oil, prompting refiners to ramp up purchases ahead of the festive season.
According to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), palm oil imports rose 15.76% to 990,528 tons—the highest since July 2024. The surge is expected to help major producers Indonesia and Malaysia trim their stockpiles and lend support to benchmark palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia.
By contrast, soybean oil imports fell 25.27% to 367,917 tons, the lowest in four months. Sunflower oil imports, however, climbed 28.53% to 257,080 tons, marking a seven-month high. India also recorded imports of 6,000 tons of canola oil—the first in nearly five years.
Also Read: Indonesia Strengthens Trade Ties with India, Palm Oil Remains Key Export
Overall, India’s vegetable oil imports rose 4.7% to 1.62 million tons in August, also the highest since July 2024. SEA highlighted that the supply boost is crucial to meet surging demand for cooking oil and processed foods during the festive period, typically marked by increased consumption of sweets and fried snacks.
“Imports are likely to stay above 800,000 tons in September as the industry gears up for festival demand,” said a Mumbai-based trader at a global trading firm, as reported by Palmoilmagazine.com citing Indiatimes on Tuesday (Sept 16, 2025).
India, the world’s largest buyer of vegetable oils, sources palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, while soybean oil and sunflower oil are imported from Argentina, Brazil, Russia, and Ukraine. In addition, during the first nine months of the marketing year ending October, India imported 589,283 tons of duty-free vegetable oil from Nepal under a regional trade agreement. (P2)
