Oilmeal exports decline 32% in 2013-14

Decline in soyabean meal shipments owing to lower domestic crop affected the exports

Exports of oilmeals fell by 32% to 34.86 lakh tonnes in the 2013-14 oil year that ended last month on significant decline in soyabean meal shipments owing to lower domestic crop, industry body SEA has said.

The country had shipped 51.29 lakh tonnes of oilmeal, used as animal feed, in the previous year. Oil year runs from November to October.

"Export of soybean meal has greatly reduced in last six months due to lower than expected crop, that resulted into high cost of soyabean in local market. This led to total disparity for soyabean meal in international market," says the latest data from Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA).

As per the SEA data, soyabean meal exports declined by 49% to 18.65 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 oil year as compared to 36.23 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.

The availability of soyabean was lower for export purpose as the country's total output was down at 120 lakh tonnes in the 2013-14 crop year as compared to 146.66 lakh tonnes in the previous year, as per the government's estimate.

SEA said the export of castorseed meal also fell marginally to 4.67 lakh tonnes from 4.95 lakh tonnes, while the shipment of ricebran extraction declined to 92,074 tonnes from 1.51 lakh tonnes in the review period.

The shipment of groundnut meal declined to 1,123 tonnes in 2013-14 oil year from 2,036 tonnes in the year-ago period.

However, the brighter side was that total export of rapeseed meal increased by 24% to 10.60 lakh tonnes from 8.56 lakh tonnes in the review period.

India exports oilmeal to countries such as South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, Iran and European nations.