India's Edible Oil Imports Jump 33.3% Ahead Of Festival Season

Palm oil imports climbed about 50% from the previous month to 730,965 metric tons, the highest in five months. Soyoil imports rose 31% to 498,881 tons, their highest in seven months, while sunflower oil imports increased about 4% to 251,639 tons

Outlook Business Desk

Curated by: Shristi Acharya

Published At: 13 August 2026 7:15 pm

Edible Oil File Photo

Summary of this article

India's edible oil imports rose 33.3% in July to a 10-month high of 14.81 lakh tonnes.
Palm oil imports surged 50%, soyoil rose 31%, as refiners stocked up for the festival season.
Imports likely to stay strong in August, palm oil shipments may cross 700,000 tons.

India's edible oil imports rose to their highest level in 10 months in July, climbing 33.3% from June, as refiners stepped up purchases of palm oil and soybean oil to replenish inventories ahead of the festival season, according to data compiled by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).

The country imported 14.81 lakh tonnes of edible oil in July 2026, up from 11.11 lakh tonnes in June 2026, the SEA said in a statement, as per media reports.

1 August 2026

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Palm Oil Imports Rise Sharpest

Palm oil imports climbed about 50% from the previous month to 730,965 metric tons, the highest in five months, the SEA said. Soyoil imports rose 31% to 498,881 tons, their highest in seven months, while sunflower oil imports increased about 4% to 251,639 tons.

Total edible oil imports touched 1.48 million tons in July, the highest since September 2025, the association said, adding that the figures exclude duty-free shipments arriving by land from Nepal.

Higher demand from India, the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, could help top producing countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Argentina reduce their inventories and support benchmark palm oil and soyoil futures, according to the report.

India sources the bulk of its palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, while soyoil and sunflower oil are imported mainly from Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.