Crude edible oils account for 95% of imports as refined oil shipments decline; higher global prices and rupee depreciation add to import costs.
Agriculture: India’s vegetable oil imports increased by 3% to 154.64 lakh tonnes during the first 11 months of the 2025-26 oil year, covering November 2025 to September 2026, according to data released by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA). The rise was primarily driven by higher imports of crude edible oils, while shipments of refined oils declined significantly.
Total edible oil imports rose to 151.64 lakh tonnes from 146.83 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous oil year. Including non-edible oils, overall imports reached 154.64 lakh tonnes, compared with 150.31 lakh tonnes a year earlier.
The import trend highlights India’s continued dependence on overseas supplies to meet domestic edible oil demand, with crude oils increasingly dominating the country’s import basket.
Crude edible oils dominate import basket
Crude edible oils accounted for 95% of India’s edible oil imports during November 2025-September 2026, compared with 88% in the same period a year earlier. Imports of crude edible oils increased to 144.24 lakh tonnes from 129.94 lakh tonnes.
In contrast, refined oil imports declined sharply to 7.40 lakh tonnes from 16.89 lakh tonnes, reducing their share from 12% to 5%.
Higher imports of crude palm oil contributed significantly to this shift, partly replacing refined palmolein supplies from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Palm oil imports increased to 73.52 lakh tonnes from 69.80 lakh tonnes. Imports of soft oils, including soybean, sunflower, rapeseed and other oils, rose to 78.12 lakh tonnes from 77.03 lakh tonnes.
Among individual oil categories, crude palm oil accounted for 72.32 lakh tonnes, while combined crude and refined soybean oil imports stood at 51.76 lakh tonnes. Crude and refined sunflower oil imports totalled 26.24 lakh tonnes.
September imports decline marginally
India’s edible oil imports declined slightly to 15.44 lakh tonnes in September 2026 from 15.72 lakh tonnes in August.
The decline was primarily driven by lower imports of refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palmolein, which fell to 2,905 tonnes from 22,700 tonnes. Crude sunflower oil imports also declined to 1.05 lakh tonnes from 1.56 lakh tonnes.
Despite the monthly decline, cumulative edible oil imports remained higher than the previous year’s level.
Nepal remains an important supplier of refined oils
Nepal supplied 6.82 lakh tonnes of refined oils to India during the eleven-month period, despite the overall decline in refined oil imports. This included 6.06 lakh tonnes of refined soybean oil, 37,734 tonnes of refined sunflower oil, 31,633 tonnes of RBD palmolein and 7,189 tonnes of rapeseed oil.
Nepal imports crude vegetable oils, processes them domestically and exports the refined products to India. The nil import duty available under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement supports this trade.
Argentina was India’s largest edible oil supplier during the period, exporting 34.43 lakh tonnes, mainly crude soybean and sunflower oils. Malaysia supplied 29.76 lakh tonnes, followed by Indonesia at 29.05 lakh tonnes. Russia supplied 12.89 lakh tonnes, largely in the form of crude sunflower oil.
Higher global prices and weaker rupee raise import costs
International prices of major edible oils increased in September 2026 compared with the same month last year, adding to the cost of imports.
The average cost, insurance and freight (CIF) price of RBD palmolein rose 9.7% to $1,228 per tonne, while crude palm oil prices increased 10.4% to $1,285 per tonne. Crude soybean oil prices climbed 11.2% to $1,314 per tonne, and crude sunflower oil prices rose 10.8% to $1,432 per tonne.
The depreciation of the Indian rupee further increased the cost of importing vegetable oils. The average exchange rate weakened to ₹95.51 per US dollar in September 2026, compared with ₹88.32 a year earlier, representing a depreciation of approximately 8.1%.
Higher international prices and currency depreciation could put additional pressure on India’s edible oil import bill and domestic market prices.
Edible oil stocks rise marginally
India’s total edible oil stocks, including port inventories and supplies in the domestic distribution pipeline, stood at an estimated 20.72 lakh tonnes on October 1, 2026, compared with 20.43 lakh tonnes on September 1.
Port stocks increased to 12.36 lakh tonnes from 11.03 lakh tonnes, while stocks in the domestic distribution pipeline declined to 8.36 lakh tonnes from 9.40 lakh tonnes.
Meanwhile, imports of non-edible oils declined 14% to 2.99 lakh tonnes during November 2025-September 2026, compared with 3.48 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period last year. These oils, including palm fatty acid distillate and RBD palm stearin, are primarily used by the soap and oleochemical industries.
Import dependence remains a key concern
The latest SEA data underline the importance of international markets in meeting India’s edible oil requirements. The growing share of crude oil imports indicates a shift in sourcing patterns, while declining refined oil shipments reflect changes in the composition of imports.
For India’s edible oil sector, higher global prices and a weaker rupee remain important cost pressures. Import trends, international price movements and domestic stock levels will continue to influence supply conditions and the cost of edible oils in the domestic market.
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