MUMBAI, Sept 28 Asia Pulse - India's imports of palm oil were expected toshoot up to 4 million tonnes during the current year as against lastyear's imports of 3.66 million tonnes, according to Godrej Internationaldirector Dorab Mistry.

Based on the current reduction in Tariff Values on imported edible oilsand the outlook for soya oil prices, "palmoil imports would expand from3.65 million tonnes to 4 million tonnes and soya oil to 1.25 milliontonnes from 950,000 lakh tonnes", he said at the two-day World OilConference, Globoil India 2004, which ended here on Monday.Similarly, total imports of edible oils, including palm, soya, sun andlaurics, was expected to rise to 5.4 million tonnes during the currentyear as against 4.8 million tonnes last year, he said.

Mistry said this year's estimates of India's edible oils production wasrevised bearing in mind the improved rains during August and the verylarge carry-over of old crop rapeseed.

He said that rapeseed acreage this year would expand and the new rapeseedcrop could reach 6 million tonnes.

The prognosis of India's vegetable oil procuction was given before theonset of the monsoon rains, and was largely based on weather forecasts,economic conditions and estimated carry-over of seeds, he added.