India’s vegetable oil imports rise to 1.5 million tonnes in July

Seasonal buying lifts July imports

India’s combined imports of palm, soybean and sunflower oil reached about 1.5 million tonnes in July, according to Oil World data reported by ZOL. The volume increased from 1.18 million tonnes in June, a rise of roughly 320,000 tonnes. It nevertheless remained below the 1.78 million tonnes imported in the corresponding month a year earlier.

Oil World described the July increase as seasonal and typical for this point in the calendar. Domestic vegetable oil production declines during the period, while buyers prepare for India’s festival season, when consumption traditionally rises. The figures therefore show a marked month-on-month recovery in purchasing, but not a return to the import level recorded a year earlier.

Palm oil falls to a four-year low

The composition of imports changed materially. Palm oil arrivals were about 740,000 tonnes in July, significantly below the year-earlier level and the lowest monthly figure in four years. Even with the broader rebound in total vegetable oil purchases, palm oil alone accounted for slightly less than half of the combined July volume reported for the three principal oils.

Soybean oil played a larger role in meeting India’s requirements. Preliminary estimates put July soybean oil imports above 500,000 tonnes. That was still below the record 600,000 tonnes registered in July 2025, but it demonstrated the market’s continued dependence on foreign soybean oil while domestic soybean availability remains tight. The source did not provide a separate July figure for sunflower oil, but the total implies that it supplied the balance after palm and soybean oil.

Domestic soybean supply remains constrained

India’s soybean planting campaign is almost complete, with 11.8 million hectares sown. The area is only slightly below last year’s level, and crops in most producing regions have already reached the flowering stage. This offers the domestic market a clearer view of planted area, although the eventual harvest will depend on crop conditions through the rest of the growing period.

Excessive rainfall in Gujarat is threatening to damage oilseed fields. At the same time, India continues to face a soybean shortage following last year’s low harvest. Large import volumes have only partly compensated for that shortfall and are also supporting elevated domestic prices, according to the source. For processors and traders, the combination of limited old-crop supply and weather risk means that developments in the domestic crop remain directly relevant to import requirements.

Import demand remains important for global suppliers

The July data present two different signals for exporters. India’s overall purchases accelerated strongly from June as seasonal demand approached, supporting near-term trade in edible oils. However, the total remained 280,000 tonnes below the corresponding month a year earlier, while palm oil imports reached their lowest monthly level in four years.

Suppliers of soybean oil have gained relative importance because India’s domestic soybean deficit has persisted. Palm oil exporters, by contrast, face a weaker flow than a year ago despite the seasonal increase in the wider vegetable oil category. The next domestic harvest will be central to the balance: stable planted area could improve supply, but excessive rainfall in Gujarat introduces a production risk. Until the size and quality of that crop become clearer, imports will remain an important tool for Indian processors and buyers seeking to cover festival-season demand and constrained domestic availability.