India increased sunflower oil imports by 35 percent in February

The import of vegetable oils in India in February fell to its lowest level in almost 2 years - 970 thousand tons, according to estimates of the Indian Association of Vegetable Oil Producers, cited by international news agencies. However, sunflower oil imports jumped 35% from January to 297,100 tonnes on lower prices thanks to supplies originally expected in January but received last month due to delays due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, including on commercial vessels. ships. Mainly responsible for the drop in vegetable oil imports overall was palm oil supplies, which fell to a nine-month low as higher prices prompted consumers to cut purchases at the expense of sunflower oil. India's February palm oil imports fell 36% from January to 497,800 tonnes, the weakest since May 2023. According to the association's experts, higher volumes of palm oil going into biodiesel production in major exporters Malaysia and Indonesia have squeezed supply and this has had the effect of limiting ...