India imported 15.44 lakh tonnes of edible oils and 35,196 tonnes of non-edible oils in September 2026, the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) said in circular EC 162/2026-27, dated 15 October 2026. Total vegetable oil imports of 1,579,643 tonnes were 7% lower than the 1,693,653 tonnes imported in September 2025, according to the SEA’s table.

On the month, edible oil imports eased to 15.44 lakh tonnes from 15.72 lakh tonnes in August. The SEA said the decrease was driven mainly by lower imports of RBD palmolein, which fell to 2,905 tonnes from 22,700 tonnes, and of crude sunflower oil, which fell to 104,984 tonnes from 155,639 tonnes.

Palm oil and soft oils in September

Palm oil made up 817,884 tonnes, or 53%, of September’s edible oil imports. Soft oils made up 726,563 tonnes, or 47%: 614,965 tonnes of soybean oil, 108,837 tonnes of sunflower oil and 2,761 tonnes of rapeseed oil, the SEA’s figures show.

The oil year so far

From November 2025 to September 2026, the first 11 months of the 2025-26 oil year, total vegetable oil imports were 154.64 lakh tonnes against 150.31 lakh tonnes a year earlier, a 3% increase. Edible oil imports rose 3% to 151.64 lakh tonnes from 146.83 lakh tonnes.

Refined oil imports fell to 740,441 tonnes from 1,689,228 tonnes, and their share of edible oil imports fell to 5% from 12%. Crude edible oil imports rose to 14,423,939 tonnes from 12,993,972 tonnes, a 95% share. The SEA attributed the shift mainly to negligible imports of refined palmolein from Indonesia and Malaysia, with higher crude palm oil imports replacing them.

Palm oil imports for the 11 months were 7,352,023 tonnes and soft oil imports 7,812,357 tonnes, keeping their shares at 48% and 52%. Argentina supplied 34.43 lakh tonnes, mainly crude soybean oil, Malaysia 29.76 lakh tonnes and Indonesia 29.05 lakh tonnes, mainly crude palm oil, and Russia 12.89 lakh tonnes, mainly crude sunflower oil.

Nepal and stocks

Nepal exported 682,452 tonnes of refined oils to India from November 2025 to September 2026, including 605,896 tonnes of refined soybean oil, the SEA said. It noted that Nepal imports mainly crude soybean oil, refines it and exports it to India with nil import duty under the SAFTA agreement.

The SEA provisionally estimates edible oil stocks at ports on 1 October at 1,236,000 tonnes, including 522,000 tonnes of crude palm and palm kernel oil and 468,000 tonnes of degummed soybean oil, with a further 836,000 tonnes in the pipeline. The total of 2,072,000 tonnes compares with 2,043,000 tonnes on 1 September.

TAD’s reading

  • Refiners: With crude oils at 95% of imports for the oil year, refining volume is staying in India rather than in Indonesia and Malaysia.
  • Domestic refiners: Refined soybean oil from Nepal, 605,896 tonnes in 11 months and duty-free under SAFTA, has increased significantly, the SEA says, while refined imports overall fell by more than half.
  • Buyers and traders: Stocks rose by 29,000 tonnes in September even though imports fell on the month, so supply going into October was slightly larger than a month earlier.