India’s sunflower oil imports expected to jump by 30% in 2026/27 following import duty cut
07/10/2026 (Oils & Fats International) - Indian sunflower oil imports are expected to increase by 30% to 3.5M tonnes in 2026/27 following the government’s move to cut the basic import duty on crude sunflower oil to zero, according to a Reuters report quoting the head of a leading industry body.
The shift could reduce soyabean oil imports by 10.7% to 5M tonnes in the next marketing year starting from 1 November, Angshu Mallick, president of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) told Reuters.
In a bid to lower prices during the peak festive season, India cut the basic import duty on crude sunflower oil to zero from 10% on 23 September, Reuters reported on the same date.
“The duty reduction is expected to boost consumption,” Mallick explained.
Palm oil imports in the new year were expected to remain steady at around 8M tonnes, although purchases could be impacted by rising prices amid concerns over supplies due to the El Niño weather pattern, Mallick added.
India meets nearly two-thirds of its vegetable oil demand through imports, mainly palm oil, soyabean oil and sunflower oil from Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina, Russia and Ukraine, according to the 30 September report.
India’s total vegetable oil imports were expected to remain steady at 16.5-17M tonners in 2026/27 although purchases could rise by 1M tonnes if lower rainfall affected the domestic rapeseed crop, Mallick said.