Edible oil imports fall 15 per cent

Edible oil imports fell 15 per cent in the November-March period of the current oil year (November-October), as per the data compiled by The Solvent Extractors' Association of India

Total import of edible oil during November 2005 to March 2006 is reported at 14.47 lakh tonne compared with 16.93 lakh tonne in the same period last year.

Palm oils import during the November-March period was at 8.27 lakh tonne and soft oils import at 6.19 lakh tonne with soyoil imports at 5.29 lakh tonne.

The ratio between palm oils and soft oils in the five-month period is 57:43 compared with 63:37 last year. In the same period, 75,344 tonne of sunflower oil was imported under tariff rate quota compared with 2,018 tonne last year.

Import of refined oils has declined to 79,280 tonne compared to 2.25 lakh tonne in the same period last year, following correction in tariff value and widening the difference between crude palm oil and RBD palmolein, thereby encouraging CPO imports over refined palmolein.

Import of refined oil has reduced from 13 per cent to 5 per cent while crude edible oil increased to 95 per cent from 87 per cent during the five-month period.

The import of non-edible oils in the five month period was at 2.55 lakh tonne compared with 1.13 lakh tonne in the same period last year.

Import of edible oil in the month of March have, however, risen 17 per cent to 4.01 lakh tonne compared with 3.43 lakh tonne in the same period last year. Non-edible oils import in the same month were at 65,007 tonne compared with 22,171 tonne last year, a rise of 193 per cent.