Lang
Market participants said India reduced its vegetable oil imports in November by 11.5% compared with October, reaching a seven-month low of 1.18 million tonnes.
The decline was particularly sharp in sunflower oil, which fell by 44% to a two-year low of 145,000 tonnes. Rapeseed oil imports dropped by 50% to 5,000 tonnes, while soybean oil imports fell by 12% to 400,000 tonnes, including 30,000 tonnes imported duty-free through the land border with Nepal.
At the same time, palm oil imports rose by 4.6% to 630,000 tonnes because of lower prices, prompting manufacturers to favor palm oil and reduce purchases of more expensive soybean and sunflower oils.
Higher palm oil imports by India could help key producers Malaysia and Indonesia reduce inventories, supporting benchmark futures on Bursa Malaysia while increasing pressure on US soybean oil prices.
Indian buyers are increasing palm oil purchases for delivery within a month, as the oil is priced around $100 per tonne below soybean oil and $200 per tonne below sunflower oil.
According to experts at Patanjali Foods Ltd., a leading edible oil importer, buyers are looking for cheaper alternatives, and palm oil imports could reach 750,000 tonnes in December.
India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, while soybean oil and sunflower oil are sourced from Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine, and Russia.
According to Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the country increased exports of palm oil and palm products in October by 25.73% in value terms compared with October 2024. In volume terms, palm oil exports from January to October 2025 reached 19.49 million tonnes, up 7.83% from the same period in 2024.