India’s edible oil imports declined 7% year-on-year in September to 15.44 lakh tonnes, mainly due to a sharp drop in crude sunflower oil shipments, according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India.
New Delhi, October 15 — India’s edible oil imports fell 7% in September to 15.44 lakh tonnes, compared with 16.58 lakh tonnes in the same month last year, according to data released by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).
The decline was driven primarily by a sharp fall in crude sunflower oil imports, which dropped to around 1.05 lakh tonnes from 2.72 lakh tonnes in September last year.
Despite the monthly decline, total edible oil imports during the first 11 months of the 2025-26 oil year, from November to September, increased 3% to 151.64 lakh tonnes, compared with 146.83 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period a year earlier.
Total vegetable oil imports, including both edible and non-edible oils, stood at 154.64 lakh tonnes during November 2025-September 2026, up from 150.31 lakh tonnes in the same period last year.
A major shift was also visible in the mix of imports. Refined oil imports declined sharply to 7.40 lakh tonnes from 16.89 lakh tonnes, bringing their share in total edible oil imports down to 5% from 12%.
SEA attributed the decline mainly to negligible imports of refined palmolein from Indonesia and Malaysia.
At the same time, imports of crude edible oils rose to 144.24 lakh tonnes from 129.94 lakh tonnes, increasing their share in total edible oil imports to 95% from 88%.
The association said the rise was driven largely by higher imports of crude palm oil, which replaced refined palmolein imports. It also noted a significant increase in refined soybean oil imports from Nepal.
The data indicates that India’s edible oil import basket is shifting further toward crude oils, while refined oil imports continue to decline.
