InfoSAWIT, MUMBAI – India’s palm oil imports fell sharply in March 2026, declining nearly 19% month-on-month as rising global vegetable oil prices prompted buyers to delay purchases.

According to InfoSAWIT, citing a statement from the Solvent Extractors' Association of India published by India Times on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, palm oil imports stood at 689,462 metric tons, down from 847,689 tons in February, marking the lowest level since December 2025.

The decline follows a rally in tropical oil prices, which led refiners to hold back purchases while waiting for price stabilization.

Soybean oil imports also slipped about 4% to 287,220 tons, while sunflower oil imports surged by approximately 35% to 196,486 tons.

Overall, India’s total vegetable oil imports dropped more than 9% to 1.17 million tons in March, the lowest since April 2025.

India mainly imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, while soybean and sunflower oils are sourced from Argentina, Brazil, Russia, and Ukraine.

A trader in Mumbai noted that increased domestic availability of rapeseed oil from the new harvest also reduced import demand.

“Buyers are still waiting for price corrections. If prices do not fall in the coming weeks, imports may rise again,” he said. (T2)