India’s Vegetable Oil Imports Remain Flat in June (YoY); Crude Edible Oil Shipments Jump Over 25%

New Delhi, July 14 — India’s vegetable oil imports remained flat at 15.49 lakh tonnes in June 2025, even when the shipments of crude edible oil surged by 25%. The increase in crude edible oil shipments followed the government’s reduction of the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on crude oils, including palm, soybean, and sunflower, from 20% to 10%, effective May 31.

Interestingly, the total vegetable oil imports in June 2025 were 15.50 lakh tonnes, thereby resulting in no significant change on a year-on-year basis. As mentioned before, a substantial increase was recorded in crude edible oil imports, driven by the recent reduction in duties.

Crude Edible Oil Imports See Double-Digit Growth

Crude edible oil shipments rose 25.64% year-on-year, reaching 11.51 lakh tonnes in June, up from 9.16 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. The government’s decision to lower the BCD on crude palm oil, crude soybean oil, and crude sunflower oil from 20% to 10%, effective May 31, played a key role in this surge.

Key Highlights:

• Crude Palm Oil (CPO): Up 23.55% to 7.88 lakh tonnes from 6.37 lakh tonnes
• Crude Soybean Oil: Increased 30.39% to 3.59 lakh tonnes from 2.75 lakh tonnes
• Crude Palm Kernel Oil (CPKO): Rose 33.33% to 4,000 tonnes from 3,000 tonnes
• Crude Sunflower Oil: Declined 53.58% to 2.61 lakh tonnes

Refined and Non-Edible Oil Imports Mix

Refined oil imports showed a moderate rise, with RBD palmolein imports up to 1.63 lakh tonnes from 1.45 lakh tonnes a year earlier. However, non-edible oil imports fell to 18,497 tonnes, down from 23,178 tonnes.

Domestic Stockpile and Policy Outlook

SEA noted that government agencies such as NAFED, HAFED, and NCDEX are currently holding approximately 14 lakh tonnes each of soybean and rapeseed. Given the current rise in edible oil prices and with the kharif soybean harvest expected in about 2.5 months, SEA has recommended a strategic release of these stocks over the next three months.

“Timely market intervention would support price stability during the festive season, ease government storage pressure, and improve overall availability,” SEA stated.

Year-to-Date Import Trends

In the first eight months of the oil year 2024-25 (November to June), India imported 94.34 lakh tonnes of vegetable oil, marking an 8% decline from 102.29 lakh tonnes in the same period last year.

India, being the world’s largest importer and consumer of edible oils, primarily sources palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, soybean oil from Argentina, Brazil, and Russia, and sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine.

As of July, India’s edible oil stock stood at 15.68 lakh tonnes, indicating ample reserves to navigate seasonal demand fluctuations.

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