India’s edible oil imports declined 7% year-on-year to 15.44 lakh tonnes in September 2026, compared with 16.58 lakh tonnes in the same month last year, according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA). The decline was mainly driven by a sharp fall in crude sunflower oil shipments.
Crude sunflower oil imports dropped to around 1.05 lakh tonnes in September, from 2.72 lakh tonnes a year earlier, reflecting a significant reduction in shipments of the commodity.
Despite the monthly decline, India’s cumulative edible oil imports increased 3% to 151.64 lakh tonnes during November 2025–September 2026, compared with 146.83 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous oil year. Total vegetable oil imports, including edible and non-edible oils, rose to 154.64 lakh tonnes from 150.31 lakh tonnes.
The import mix also changed considerably during the 11-month period. Refined oil imports fell to approximately 7.40 lakh tonnes from 16.89 lakh tonnes a year earlier, reducing their share of total edible oil imports to 5% from 12%.
In contrast, crude edible oil imports increased to 144.24 lakh tonnes from 129.94 lakh tonnes, accounting for 95% of total imports. Higher crude palm oil shipments, which substituted for refined palmolein imports, were a major factor behind this shift.
India remains heavily dependent on overseas supplies to meet domestic edible oil demand. Changes in international prices, import policies and shipments from major producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia will continue to influence import volumes and costs.
The latest figures indicate that although edible oil imports weakened in September, cumulative purchases remained higher than the previous year, highlighting the continuing importance of global supply chains in meeting India’s cooking oil requirements.