The Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a notification on Wednesday declaring that the import of refined palm oil is amended from 'Free' to 'Restricted'
On Monday, the commerce ministry held a detailed meeting with edible oil industry stakeholders and asked them informally to avoid purchase of Malaysian palm oil, a government source said
Malaysia is the world's second largest producer and exporter of palm oil after Indonesia, and the edible oil contributed to 2.8% of its gross domestic product last year
Malaysian exports of refined palm oil to India, the world's biggest importer of edible oils, jumped 727% in the first half of 2019 to 1.57 million tonnes compared with the same period a year before
India raised import taxes on crude and refined palm oil in March to the highest level in over a decade to support local farmers