...Import of Vegetable Oils at Record High - SEA

The Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA) India, in a report on October 13, said import of vegetable oils in September totaled 1.762 million MT, topping by 66% September last year data at 1.062 million MT.  This consisted of 1.699 million MT of edible oils and 63,608 MT of non-edible oils.  The month’s import set new record in a single month, SEA data show.  The cumulative import of vegetable oils during the 11-month period to September (November ’20 to September ’21) of the current oil year ending October 2021 was 12.471 million MT, a slight rise by 2% over a similar year-earlier period total at 12.258 million MT.   

Indonesia and Malaysia are the major suppliers of RBD palm olein and crude palm oil (CPO) to India.  During the 11-month period, Malaysia was major supplier of CPO at 3.267 million MT followed by Indonesia at 3.231 million MT and Thailand at 308,949 MT.  However, Indonesia was leading supplier of RBD palm olein at 435,524 MT trailed by Malaysia at 182,604 MT.  In case of soybean oil, major supplier was Argentina at 2.238 million MT trailed by Brazil at 340,089 MT, while sunflower oil largely came from Ukraine at 1.319 million MT followed by Russia at 222,298 MT and Argentina at 199,589 MT. 

Palm fatty acid distillates (PFAD) and palm stearin are the major non-edible oils imported by the Soap and Oleochemical industry.  During the 11-month period, imports of non-edible oils totaled 385,537 MT, increasing by 25% over a similar period year-earlier at 307,333 MT.  Imports of PFAD surged to 341,436 MT from 241,383 MT.