PALMOILMAGAZINE, NEW DELHI — India’s palm oil imports edged higher in November 2025 as falling prices encouraged refiners to ramp up purchases of the tropical vegetable oil. In contrast, imports of soyoil and sunflower oil were reduced due to relatively higher prices, according to five traders tracking the market.
The increase from the world’s largest vegetable oil buyer is expected to help major producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia trim their inventories and potentially support benchmark prices on the Malaysian exchange. However, the shift in buying patterns could put downward pressure on soyoil prices in the United States.
Traders estimate that India’s palm oil imports rose 4.6% month-on-month to 630,000 tons in November. Meanwhile, soyoil imports fell 12% to 400,000 tons, and sunflower oil shipments plunged 44% to just 145,000 tons — the lowest level in two years.
Also Read:
Overall, India’s total vegetable oil imports dropped 11.5% to 1.18 million tons, marking a seven-month low. The decline was mainly driven by weaker soyoil and sunflower oil arrivals.
The figures also include around 30,000 tons of duty-free soyoil delivered via land routes from Nepal, traders noted.
Aashish Acharya, Vice President of Patanjali Foods Ltd — one of India’s largest vegetable oil importers — said buyers were accelerating near-term palm oil purchases as prices remained significantly more competitive.
“In December, palm oil imports could climb again to as high as 750,000 tons,” he said, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from Reuters on Thursday (December 4, 2025). Palm oil, he added, is currently nearly USD 100 per ton cheaper than soyoil.
India primarily sources palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, while soyoil and sunflower oil come from Argentina, Brazil, Russia, and Ukraine. The country’s canola oil imports also slumped by half in November to just 5,000 tons.
Rajesh Patel, Managing Partner at GGN Research, noted that sunflower oil continues to trade more than USD 200 per ton above palm oil and about USD 100 per ton above soyoil. This wide price gap is driving buyers to seek more affordable alternatives.
With the persistent price disparities among vegetable oils, industry players expect India’s import mix to keep shifting in the coming months. (P2)
