Edible Oil Imports Jump to 11.75 Lakh Tonnes in May
12-Jun-2025 05:27 PM
Mumbai. Data compiled by the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SIA) shows that the total import of edible oils in May 2025 increased to 11.75 lakh tonnes, which is the highest level in any month after December 2024. 10.08 lakh tonnes of edible oil was imported in January 2025, 8.86 lakh tonnes in February, 9.71 lakh tonnes in March and 8.63 lakh tonnes in April. Earlier, 15.90 lakh tonnes of edible oil was imported in November 2024 and 11.86 lakh tonnes in December 2024. In this way, during the first seven months of the current marketing season i.e. from November 2024 to May 2025, a total of 76.77 lakh tonnes of edible oil was imported in the country, which was much less than the import of 85.68 lakh tonnes in the same months of the 2023-24 season.
In May 2025, 80 thousand tonnes of refined edible oil and 10.95 lakh tonnes of crude edible oil were imported, whereas in April its quantity was 76 thousand tonnes and 7.87 lakh tonnes respectively. Including this, a total of 8.19 lakh tonnes of refined and 68.58 lakh tonnes of crude edible oil was imported from November 2024 to May 2025.
According to the data of the association, about 5.93 lakh tonnes of palm oil, 3.99 lakh tonnes of soybean oil and 1.84 lakh tonnes of sunflower oil were imported in May 2025. In April, 3.22 lakh tons of palm oil, 3.61 lakh tons of soybean oil and 1.80 lakh tons of sunflower oil were imported. Thus, the import of edible oils of all the three categories increased during May as compared to April. The reality is that the import of palm oil in May 2025 was the highest in the last six months. Prior to this, 8.42 lakh tons of palm oil products were imported in November 2024. The palm oil category includes crude palm oil, RBD palmolein and crude palm kernel oil. Its maximum import is from Indonesia and Malaysia. Compared to November 2023-May 2024, during November 2024-May 2025, palm oil imports fell from 49.77 lakh tonnes to 33.30 lakh tonnes, and sunflower oil imports fell from 19.98 lakh tonnes to 16.76 lakh tonnes, but soybean oil imports jumped from 15.93 lakh tonnes to 26.71 lakh tonnes. The share of soft oils in total edible oil imports rose above palm oil.