India boosts vegetable oil imports amid depleting stocks

According to the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI), India’s vegetable oil stocks fell to 1.7 million tonnes by the end of October 2025, 0.7 million tonnes below the same period last year. According to OilWorld (Germany), this will pave the way for increased oil imports between November 2025 and January 2026.

According to SEA (Sectoral Association of Edible Oils) estimates, imports of five key vegetable oils fell to 1.35 million tonnes in October 2025. This represents a 9% decrease from October 2024, and a decline from 1.67 million tonnes in September 2025. A detailed picture of the main oils:

• Palm oil: imports decreased to 595 thousand tons (835 thousand tons in September, 867 thousand tons in October 2024).
• Soybean oil: deliveries totaled 465 thousand tons (550 thousand tons in September, 397 thousand tons in October 2024), with 25 thousand tons coming from China. This is the first purchase of soybean oil from China this year; there were no such deliveries for 10 months in 2024.
• Sunflower oil: imports reached 261 thousand tons (275 thousand tons in September, 195 thousand tons in October 2024).
• Rapeseed oil: 10 thousand tons were imported from Russia in October.

For the period January-October 2025, India’s total vegetable oil imports are estimated at 13.55 million tonnes, slightly lower than the 2024 figure of 13.89 million tonnes. Palm oil imports from Indonesia and Malaysia decreased by 1.2 million tonnes due to rising prices. As a result, total palm oil imports amounted to 6.47 million tonnes, compared to 7.48 million tonnes for the same period in 2024. Soybean oil imports increased to 4.70 million tonnes, with Argentina (2.1 million tonnes) and Brazil (907,000 tonnes) being the largest suppliers. Sunflower oil imports reached 2.38 million tonnes (3.13 million tonnes in 2024), of which 1.11 million tonnes came from Russia (1.59 million tonnes in 2024).

Thus, analysts predict that, amid declining stocks and volatile import dynamics, India will likely increase vegetable oil purchases in the coming months to ensure domestic market stability.

Previously, India imported 1.39 million tonnes of soybean oil from April to June 2025, a 40% increase from the same period a year earlier. Indian importers continue to diversify their supply markets, with price levels remaining a key factor in this process.

Tags: India, imports, edible oils