Indonesian export ban brings India's edible oil dependency back in focus

Indonesia's ban on palm oil exports has refocused attention on the efficacy of the government's policy to boost domestic production

Recently, a senior official with the government of Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, quelled market speculation by saying that the unprecedented ban on exports imposed in April will stay unless domestic prices fall below a fixed threshold. But given the policy flip-flops that Indonesia has made in the last couple of months on palm oil, the market was sceptical.

Volatile market movements in edible oils exposed, once again, India’s well-known vulnerability to international conditions, something it will have to live with for many years to come unless drastic measures are taken.

These spikes are expected to get