India's palm oil imports in March fell to a 3-month low due to a price surge

Five dealers said that India's palm-oil imports dropped nearly 19% to a new low in March, as the price of tropical oil, which tracks energy markets, rose. This prompted refiners, who track the energy markets, to reduce?purchases, and wait for correction.

Reduced imports may deplete stocks, support local oilseeds prices and force the world's largest edible oil importer in the coming months to increase overseas purchases to replenish stock.

Dealer estimates show that palm oil imports dropped to 689,00 metric tons from 847,689 tonnes in February.

Imports of soyoil fell 3% in March, compared to the same month last year, to 290 000 tons. Meanwhile, sunflower oil exports jumped 36.3%, to 198,000 tonnes.

Estimates show that India's total edible?oil imports dropped nearly 9% in February, to 1,18 million tons of oil in March. This is the lowest level since April 2025.

Dealers said that the figures do not include duty-free shipments arriving through land borders from Nepal.

According to Rajesh Patel, managing partner of the edible oil trader GGN Research in Rajkot, Gujarat, India imported approximately 60,000 tonnes (mostly soyoil) of edible oils from Nepal during March.

By mid-April, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India will release its March import data.

After overseas prices soared in March, Indian buyers'scaled back their imports.' Sandeep Bajoria is the chief executive officer of Sunvin Group.

Malaysian palm futures rose 19.47% in march, their biggest monthly gain since April 20,22. This was due to expectations that an increase in energy prices, caused by the Middle East conflict, would boost biodiesel consumption.

Bajoria said that supplies are coming from the new-season crop of rapeseed, which is helping to curb imports on a short-term basis.

India imports most of its palm and sunflower oils from Indonesia, Malaysia and Argentina.

(source: Reuters)