India’s sunflower oil imports fell by 23% in January.
India reshaped edible oil imports in January 2026 as cheaper palm oil drove a 51% surge in purchases, while sunflower oil imports fell 23% and soyoil plunged 45%. The shift cut total imports 3.5%, supporting palm prices but pressuring global soyoil markets.
In January 2026, India changed its procurement structure. While palm oil imports jumped 51%, imports of sunflower and soybean oils declined significantly. Sunflower oil imports fell by 23%, which was a key factor in the overall decline in edible oil purchases by the country.
According to data analyzed by Reuters , India’s sunflower oil imports fell by 23% to 269,000 tonnes in January 2026. The main reason for the decline was a shift in demand to cheaper palm oil, with shipments reaching a four-month peak of 766,000 tonnes.
At the same time, soybean oil imports also plummeted by 45%, reaching a 19-month low (280,000 tonnes). This led to a 3.5% decline in total vegetable oil imports to India, to 1.32 million tonnes, despite record palm oil purchases.
Attractive prices for this tropical product played a key role, prompting Indian importers to revise their purchasing strategies in its favor. However, a sharp increase in India’s palm oil imports is expected to support prices on Malaysian and Indonesian exchanges and help reduce stockpiles in those countries.
And reduced demand from India could put further pressure on soybean oil futures on US exchanges.
According to OleoScope, the price of sunflower oil CIF Mumbai India for February 2, 2026, with delivery in February, was $1,407.93 per tonne, which is $4.97 per tonne higher than the previous value of January 30, 2026 ($1,402.95 per tonne). The price of palm oil (FOB Malaysia) was $1,092.01 per tonne, which is $22.39 per tonne lower than the previous value of January 29, 2026 ($1,114.40 per tonne).
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Source : Ukr Agro Consult
