Russia's Sunflower Oil Exports to India Rise 34.7% to $1.17 Billion

Russia exported sunflower oil worth $1.17 billion to India in January–July, 34.7% more than the $868.8 million recorded in the same period a year earlier, Interfax reported, citing data from India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

In physical terms, shipments over the seven months reached 859,000 tonnes, up from 730,400 tonnes a year earlier. Russia remains the leading supplier of sunflower oil to India and holds a substantial share of the country's imports of the product, with Argentina the second-largest supplier, according to Interfax.

July shipments nearly double

The monthly data show the trade accelerating into the middle of the year. Export revenue in July reached $120.2 million, more than double the $54.1 million booked in July a year earlier. Volumes rose to 85,600 tonnes from 45,100 tonnes.

A single month therefore delivered roughly a tenth of the seven-month volume, and July's year-on-year gain of about 40,500 tonnes accounts for close to a third of the 128,600-tonne increase recorded across the whole period. The comparison base was unusually low: July last year was one of the weakest months of the 2024/25 trade.

Revenue outpaces volume

Value grew roughly twice as fast as tonnage: revenue rose 34.7% while volumes increased about 17.6%. The gap points to higher prices rather than simply more oil crossing the water. Seven-month receipts work out to about $1,360 per tonne against roughly $1,190 a year earlier, and July's shipments imply close to $1,400 per tonne.

• January–July sunflower oil: 859,000 tonnes for $1.17 billion
• January–July a year earlier: 730,400 tonnes for $868.8 million
• July: 85,600 tonnes for $120.2 million
• July a year earlier: 45,100 tonnes for $54.1 million

The same pattern was visible across the Indian market as a whole last year. India's sunflower oil imports fell to 2.89 million tonnes in 2025 from 3.74 million tonnes in 2024, yet the import bill declined only to $3.46 billion from $3.7 billion — an average of about $1,200 per tonne against roughly $990 the year before.

Soybean oil moves the other way

Russia's other vegetable oil trade with India is contracting. Soybean oil deliveries over the seven months fell to 39,100 tonnes worth $47.8 million, from 122,600 tonnes worth $133.3 million a year earlier, Interfax reported. Volumes are down by about two-thirds and revenue by around 64%.

The divergence leaves sunflower oil accounting for the overwhelming share of Russian vegetable oil earnings in India: $1.17 billion against $47.8 million. A year earlier the ratio was $868.8 million to $133.3 million, a far more balanced split.

Recovery from a weak 2025

This year's growth follows a sharp contraction. In 2025 Russia shipped 1.298 million tonnes of sunflower oil to India, a third less than the 1.923 million tonnes supplied in 2024, while export revenue fell to $1.57 billion from $1.89 billion.

Measured against that base, the seven-month figure of 859,000 tonnes already equals about two-thirds of the full 2025 volume, and $1.17 billion in revenue covers close to three-quarters of last year's $1.57 billion, with five months of the calendar year still to be counted.

Russian oil accounted for roughly 45% of the 2.89 million tonnes of sunflower oil India imported in 2025. With Argentina in second place, Indian refiners are working with a concentrated sourcing base for a product that competes directly with palm and soybean oil in the domestic edible oil pool.