Rapeseed meal drives 18.41% rise in India’s May oilmeal exports

May shipments recover on rapeseed meal demand

India’s oilmeal exports rose 18.41% year on year in May 2026, supported by a sharp increase in rapeseed meal shipments. The country exported 373,000 tonnes during the month, compared with 315,000 tonnes in May 2025, according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, or SEA.

Rapeseed meal accounted for most of the improvement. Exports reached 247,000 tonnes in May 2026, up from 134,000 tonnes a year earlier. The increase helped compensate for weaker shipments in other oilmeal categories and gave Indian crushers a larger outlet for the by-product generated during rapeseed processing.

The monthly recovery did not fully reverse the weak start to the financial year. Total oilmeal exports declined 5.37% to 739,000 tonnes in April-May 2026-27 from 781,000 tonnes in the same period of 2025-26. SEA Executive Director BV Mehta said April shipments had fallen 21.5% amid continuing Red Sea shipping disruptions and high freight costs.

China becomes the principal growth market

China imported 276,000 tonnes of Indian oilmeals in April-May 2026-27, more than double the 117,000 tonnes recorded a year earlier. Rapeseed meal represented 273,000 tonnes of that total, alongside 1,616 tonnes of castor meal and 998 tonnes of soybean meal. The figures show that the expansion was concentrated in a single product and heavily linked to Chinese feed demand.

Bangladesh remained another major destination, taking 102,000 tonnes during the first two months of 2026-27, broadly unchanged from the corresponding period a year earlier. Its purchases included 92,985 tonnes of rapeseed meal, 8,204 tonnes of soybean meal and 911 tonnes of rice-bran extraction.

Vietnam’s imports from India doubled to 80,231 tonnes from 40,040 tonnes. The total comprised 29,435 tonnes of rapeseed meal, 47,811 tonnes of rice-bran extractions and 2,855 tonnes of soybean meal. Vietnam therefore provided a more diversified market than China, with rice-bran extraction representing the largest component of its purchases.

Soybean meal loses ground as competition intensifies

Rapeseed meal exports for April-May increased to 495,000 tonnes from 347,000 tonnes in the previous year. Soybean meal moved in the opposite direction: shipments fell to 144,000 tonnes from 387,000 tonnes. In May alone, soybean meal exports dropped to 81,629 tonnes from 156,000 tonnes a year earlier.

Mehta attributed the decline to rising Indian soybean meal prices, which are eroding competitiveness in international markets. Indian suppliers face aggressive pricing from Argentina and Brazil, as well as competition from European producers. Changing demand in China and South Korea is adding pressure, leaving rapeseed meal to carry a greater share of India’s oilmeal export performance.

Prospects for crushers will also depend on the domestic crop. Soybean planting area stood at 12.1 million hectares on August 14, marginally below 12.3 million hectares a year earlier, while groundnut area increased to 4.803 million hectares from 4.701 million hectares. SEA said yields and production would depend on weather conditions in the coming months. For exporters and feed buyers, freight costs, crop development and the price gap with competing suppliers will determine whether May’s recovery can continue.