Sharp Increase in Sunflower Oil Imports from Russia

03-Nov-2025 01:18 PM

Mumbai: Over the past four to five years, India’s imports of sunflower oil from Russia have risen dramatically and are expected to remain strong in the coming years. According to available data, India imported only 175,000 tonnes of sunflower oil from Russia in 2021, but by 2024, imports had surged to a record 2.09 million tonnes. This represents a twelvefold increase in just four years. During this period, Russia’s share in India’s sunflower oil market jumped from 10% to 56%. Besides Russia, India also imports sunflower oil from Ukraine, Argentina, and Romania.

Before the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war in 2022, Ukraine was India’s leading supplier of sunflower oil. However, due to heavy Russian bombardment of Ukrainian ports, maritime shipments from Ukraine were severely disrupted. Consequently, Ukraine shifted its focus to exporting sunflower oil via land and rail routes to nearby European countries, forcing India to increase its dependence on Russian supplies.

Meanwhile, Russia faced challenges in exporting its large sunflower seed and oil production, as it was unable to sell much of it to Europe. As a result, Russia turned aggressively toward Asian markets, particularly India and China, offering its products at competitive prices. This strategy proved highly successful, with Russia becoming a major supplier to India.

However, with global prices remaining elevated, India’s sunflower oil imports are expected to decline in the current year.