Edible Oils

Indore-based Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has called the non-standard pack sizes used in edible oil packaging misleading for consumers, and urged the central government to immediately intervene in the matter. The organisation said many companies are introducing such pack sizes of edible oils into the market, confusing consumers regarding price and quantity. SOPA Executive Director D N Pathak said on Wednesday that the organisation has written a letter to the Secretary of the Union Consumer Affairs Department in this regard. The letter said five national organisations of the edible oil industry had previously jointly presented on this subject and recommended standardisation of packaging volumes for edible oils in the interest of consumers. "The government, with good intentions, removed the standard quantity restrictions on packaging edible oils and mandated the per-unit price on packages. However, some manufacturers are misusing this exemption by introducing ...

With input cost easing and margin pressure subsiding, the management expects progressive improvement in operating profit growth rates over the coming quarters.

India's vegetable oil imports fell 2 per cent to 3.96 million tonnes in the first quarter of the 2025-26 oil year (November-October) from a year earlier, as lower soybean and sunflower oil purchases offset a rise in palm oil imports, industry data showed on Friday. The world's biggest vegetable oil importer bought 4.05 million tonnes, including edible and non-edible oils, in the same period a year ago, according to the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA). Palm oil imports rose 18 per cent to 1.91 million tonnes in the November 2025-January 2026 quarter from 1.62 million tonnes a year earlier, the industry body said in a statement. Port stocks of palm oil stood at 4,86,000 tonnes on February 1, up 33,000 tonnes from the previous month. Crude soybean oil imports fell 9 per cent to 1.20 million tonnes from 1.27 million tonnes, while port stocks declined to 1,90,000 tonnes from 3,00,000 tonnes a month earlier. Crude sunflower oil imports dropped 15 per cent to 7,59,000 ton

The research used import duties on palm oil as the reference point, as it constitutes almost 60 per cent of India's annual edible oil imports

The Soybean Processors' Association of India (SOPA) has urged the government to increase import duty on edible oils by at least 10 per cent to protect farmers from sluggish domestic prices that have discouraged cultivation. In a representation to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, SOPA Chairman Davish Jain said cheaper imports and depressed domestic oilseed prices have led farmers to reduce or abandon oilseed cultivation. "We earnestly request your kind intervention to revisit the customs duty structure on imported edible oils and increase the duty by at least 10 per cent at the earliest," Jain said, adding that such a measure will go a long way in restoring farmers' confidence, incentivising greater oilseed production, and reinforcing India's journey towards self-sufficiency. The appeal comes as the area under soybean cultivation has declined by over 5 per cent this year, with farmers disheartened by poor price realisation. Throughout the current marketing year, soybean .

Edible oil industry body SEA has demanded that the government lift the ban on export of De-Oiled Rice Bran (DORB) to protect domestic processors and enhance farmers income. At present, the ban is valid till September 2025. In a statement on Thursday, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said it has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the ongoing ban on the export of DORB. "SEA has urged the government not to extend the ban beyond September 30, 2025," the association said. It has written a letter to the prime minister, home minister as well as Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh. Before the ban that was imposed in 2023, the SEA noted that India exported 5-6 lakh tonnes of DORB annually, worth about Rs 1,000 crore, mainly to Asian countries, to stabilise feed and mi

A DDGS glut is hurting oilmeal demand, lowering oilseed prices, and driving Indian farmers to grow more corn and rice instead of soybeans and groundnuts, despite New Delhi's push to boost output

The government proposes mandatory registration for all vegetable oil producers under a new amendment to the Vegetable Oil Products, Production, and Availability Order of 2011

The Union Food Ministry has drafted a new order to regulate vegetable oil products in India by introducing more modern, transparent, and technologically advanced regulatory provisions, with a stronger emphasis on stakeholder participation and adaptability to industry changes. The 2025 draft Vegetable Oil Products, Production and Availability (VOPPA) Regulation Order seeks to replace the 2011 order, and the ministry has sought public comments on the same by July 11. The 2025 draft order emphasises enhanced monitoring with increased surveillance of edible oil imports, production, stocks, and sales, likely using digital tools for better transparency and control. The earlier order was based on the regulatory environment and technology available at that time, focusing on traditional production, stocking, and reporting methods. The draft aims to streamline registration and compliance, possibly introducing online systems and an updated reporting format. The earlier order required periodic

While exporters have raised prices to nullify duty cuts, concerns over the Israel-Iran conflict, and the expected global diversion of additional vegetable oil for biofuel blending schemes are factors

The government has set a high MSP for soybean, but the near-collapse of the domestic market for oil meal, a key byproduct of soybeans, means farmers may look at alternative crops

Soybean processors say it will hurt oilseed growers, other say will push up domestic refining

ICMR recommends a 12 kg limit, but rising consumption is fuelling obesity, lifestyle diseases, and growing dependence on edible oil imports

The edible oil major saw its revenue rise 36 per cent in Q4 compared to last year

Lower-than-normal imports for the second straight month have depleted stocks in the world's biggest buyer of vegetable oils

Dependence on import for meeting the domestic requirements of this mass-consumed kitchen staple has continued to remain untenably high

While palm oil production elsewhere in the world is conducted on large-scale plantations, it is small-scale farmers in India who are the key to boosting production

Last month, India raised the basic import tax on crude and refined edible oils by 20 percentage points to help protect farmers struggling with lower oilseed prices

The government has asked edible oil processors not to hike retail prices following recent increase in import duties, as there is enough stock of cooking oils that were shipped at a lower duty. The food ministry said the stocks imported at lower duties would easily last 45-50 days, and therefore the processors should refrain from increasing maximum retail prices (MRP). Last week, the Centre implemented an increase in the basic customs duty on various edible oils to support domestic oilseed prices. Effective September 14, 2024, the basic customs duty on crude soyabean oil, crude palm oil, and crude sunflower oil has been raised to 20 per cent from nil, making the effective duty on crude oils to 27.5 per cent. Additionally, the basic customs duty on refined palm oil, refined sunflower oil, and refined soyabean oil has been increased from 12.5 per cent to 32.5 per cent, making the effective duty on refined oils to 35.75 per cent. On Tuesday, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra chaired a mee

A proposal has been made by the farm ministry and a final decision will be made by the Department of Revenue, which falls under the finance ministry, said another government official