PALMOILMAGAZINE, NEW DELHI — India’s vegetable oil imports surged sharply by 51% to 1.639 million tons in September 2025, up from 1.087 million tons in the same period last year. The increase was mainly driven by a spike in crude palm oil (CPO) shipments, while refined oil imports dropped to zero for the first time since 2021.
According to data from the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA), the surge followed the government’s decision to widen the import duty gap between CPO and refined palm oil (RBD Palmolein) from 8.25% to 19.25%, effective May 31, 2025.
The move made refined oil imports economically unviable and encouraged domestic refiners to expand crude oil processing within India. “The government’s decision to widen the duty differential was bold and timely,” SEA said in a statement quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from India Times on Wednesday (Oct 22, 2025). “This policy successfully curbed refined palm oil imports and revitalized India’s domestic refining industry.”
SEA data shows no imports of RBD Palmolein in September 2025, compared to 84,279 tons during the same period last year. Meanwhile, total vegetable oil imports comprised 1.604 million tons of edible oils and 35,100 tons of non-edible oils.
By type, CPO imports nearly doubled to 824,000 tons from 432,000 tons in September 2024. Crude sunflower oil imports rose to 272,000 tons from 152,000 tons, and crude soybean oil imports increased to 503,000 tons from 384,000 tons. In contrast, Crude Palm Kernel Oil (CPKO) imports declined to 4,255 tons, down from 10,525 tons a year earlier.
SEA also reported that edible oil stocks at Indian ports reached 2 million tons as of October 1, 2025, higher than the previous month due to heavy import volumes over the past four months.
India remains the world’s largest importer of vegetable oils, sourcing palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, soybean oil from Argentina, Brazil, and Russia, and sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine.
The Indian government’s latest import policy is seen as a strategic move to strengthen domestic refining capacity, reduce reliance on refined oil imports, and stabilize the edible oil supply amid global price volatility. (P2)
