India’s palm oil imports climbed to 782,761 tonnes in August, while soyoil purchases surged 26% to a record 628,736 tonnes as refiners built stocks ahead of the festival season.
PALMOILMAGAZINE, MUMBAI — India’s palm oil imports rose 7% month on month to 782,761 tonnes in August 2026, reaching their highest level since February as refiners stepped up purchases ahead of the country’s peak festival season.
Data from the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) showed that the increase in palm oil imports coincided with a sharp rise in soyoil purchases, pushing India’s total vegetable oil imports to an 11-month high.
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Soyoil imports surged 26% from July to a record 628,736 tonnes, while sunflower oil imports fell 36% to 160,639 tonnes.
Overall, India imported 1.57 million tonnes of vegetable oils in August, up 1.5% from the previous month, according to data reported by India Times on Sept. 17.
A Mumbai-based trader at a global trading company said refiners had increased purchases to build inventories ahead of the festival season, which typically runs from August through November and drives stronger demand for edible oils.
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Competitive soyoil prices compared with palm oil are also expected to keep demand for soyoil firm in September. A New Delhi-based trader at another global trading company estimated that India’s soyoil imports could remain above 600,000 tonnes this month.
The trader said disruptions to sunflower oil shipments from the Black Sea region amid the ongoing war have also encouraged Indian refiners to increase soyoil purchases as an alternative source of supply.
India’s heavy buying activity has, however, begun to put pressure on logistics at some major ports. Vessel unloading has reportedly been delayed by as much as 10 days as limited onshore storage capacity leaves refiners with less room to receive additional cargoes while working to clear existing inventories.
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The increase in Indian vegetable oil imports could provide support to global edible oil markets. Stronger purchases of palm oil and soyoil by one of the world’s largest vegetable oil consumers could help major producers, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Argentina, move inventories while potentially supporting palm oil and soyoil futures.
India sources most of its palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, while its soyoil and sunflower oil supplies are mainly sourced from Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine. (P2)
