India’s edible oil imports rose 6.7% in May to nearly 13.39 lakh tonnes mainly due to increase in shipments of crude soyabean oil, according to industry body SEA.Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) on Friday released the May import data for vegetable oils, which comprises edible and non-edible oils.
As per the data, edible oils imports increased to 1,338,936 tonnes in May this year from 1,254,883 tonnes in the same month last year. This was driven by imports of crude soyabean oil, which rose to 4,93,854 tonnes from 3,98,585 tonnes during the period under review.
Inward shipments of non-edible oils jumped over twofold to 26,202 tonnes last month from 12,040 tonnes in May 2025.As a result, India’s imports of vegetable oils (edible and non-edible) during May 2026 increased 8% to 13.65 lakh tonnes as compared with 12.67 lakh tonnes in May 2025, the association said.During the first seven months of the 2025-26 oil year, SEA said the total vegetable oil imports rose 12% to 93.65 lakh tonnes from 83.39 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.Edible oil imports during November 2025-May 2026 period grew 13% to 92.17 lakh tonnes, as compared with 81.31 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. Non-edible oil shipments dropped to 1,47,710 tonnes from 2,07,505 tonnes during this time.SEA noted that the country’s edible oil imports in May increased, primarily because of higher imports of crude soybean oil as the price premium of soybean oil over palm oil narrowed, improving its competitiveness.Effective June 1, the government raised the tariff value of crude palm oil (CPO) to USD 1,218 per tonne and RBD (refined) palm oil to USD 1,222 per tonne, while slightly reducing the tariff value for crude soyabean oil.”No imports of RBD Palmolein were recorded during May 2026. Cumulative imports of RBD Palmolein during November 2025-May 2026 declined sharply to 47,270 tonnes from 8,26,800 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year,” SEA said.”The decline reflects the government’s policy of maintaining a higher duty differential between crude and refined oils, which has encouraged imports of crude palm oil and supported domestic refining, value addition, and employment generation,” it added.During the first seven months of the current oil year, the SEA said the ratio of refined oil sharply decreased to 3% from 16%, while the crude oil ratio increased to 97% from 84% a year ago.The association pointed out that refined oils imports from Nepal continued at significant levels. Nepal enjoys nil import duty under SAFTA Agreement for export to India.
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