India’s edible oil imports in February 2025 dropped to their lowest level in four years, primarily due to significant declines in soy oil and sunflower oil imports.
This has led to the lowest inventory levels in three years, according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).
For the second consecutive month, India recorded below-average imports of edible oils, leading to a depletion of stocks in the country, which is the world’s largest buyer of vegetable oils. The reduced supply may prompt India to increase its purchases in the coming months, potentially supporting global prices of Malaysian palm oil and U.S. soyoil futures.
Despite the overall decline in edible oil imports, palm oil imports surged 35.7% in February compared to January, reaching 3,73,549 metric tons. However, this is still lower than the monthly average of 7,50,000 metric tons recorded in the previous marketing year, which ended in October 2024.
Soy oil imports dropped by 36% to 2,83,737 metric tons, while sunflower oil imports fell 20.8% to 2,28,275 metric tons in February. These reductions contributed to the overall decline in edible oil imports.
With inventories at multi-year lows, India may ramp up its edible oil imports in the coming months to meet domestic demand, potentially influencing global edible oil prices.
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Published on: Mar 12, 2025, 9:26 AM IST
Nikitha Devi
Nikitha is a content creator with 6+ years of experience in the financial domain. Specialising in personal finance, investments, and market insights, Nikitha simplifies complex financial topics, making them accessible to readers.
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