Edible Oil Supply Rises on Strong Oilseed Output

19-Aug-2025 04:25 PM

New Delhi. Data from the Union Agriculture Ministry shows that the gross production of oilseed crops increased by 7.4 percent to a new record level of 426 lakh tonnes during the marketing season of 2024-25 as compared to the 2023-24 season. This includes oilseeds like mustard, soybean, groundnut, sesame, sunflower and nigerseed.

Due to this spectacular production, the crushing-processing units received more stock of raw material (oilseeds), which increased the availability of edible oils. In view of this, there is a possibility of some reduction in the import of edible oil from abroad.

Due to the high global market price, the import of edible oils in India is costly and hence there has been an environment of ups and downs in its domestic market price for the last few months.

In July 2025, the retail inflation rate in edible oils was recorded at 19.24 percent. Data compiled by Solvent Ex Tractors Association of India (SAA) shows that during the entire marketing season of 2023-24 (November-October), a total of 159.60 lakh tonnes of edible oils were imported in India, worth Rs 1.32 lakh crore.

This included crude palm oil, RBD palmolein, crude degum soybean oil and crude sunflower oil. It was imported from countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine and Romania.

With the aim of ensuring adequate supply and availability of edible oils in the domestic sector and curbing the rise in prices, the government has cut the import duty, but due to the high international market prices, domestic consumers could not get the proper benefit of this duty cut.

The acreage of Kharif oilseed crops and especially soybean, groundnut and sesame is lagging behind last year. The price of mustard and its oil has become very high, due to which its sowing area is expected to increase in the upcoming Rabi season.