Edible Oil Imports: Due to the ongoing tension in the Middle East, there has also been a rise in the prices of edible oil. India is largely dependent on imports to meet its edible oil needs. About 60% of the country’s total needs come from foreign markets. As the prices of edible oil are increasing across the world and the import bill is increasing rapidly, concerns are increasing about the impact it will have on people’s household budgets and food inflation. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also appealed to the citizens to use edible oil amid rising prices.

How much oil did India import?

According to recent data released by Solvent Extractors Association of India, India imported about 166.51 lakh tonnes of edible oil during the financial year 2025-26. During this period, the country spent about 19.35 billion dollars on importing edible oil. Increasing dependence on imports has become a major economic problem. This is because India uses much more edible oil than its domestic production.

Import bill is increasing rapidly

The import burden has increased rapidly in recent months. In the first 6 months of the current oil year itself, between November 2025 and April 2026, India’s edible oil import bill has increased by almost 19% to cross ₹ 87,000 crore. The increase reflects both rising international prices and India’s continued dependence on imported edible oil for household and industrial use.

India’s oil import

India imports edible oil from many countries depending on the type of oil. Palm oil is mainly imported from Indonesia and Malaysia. Soybean oil mostly comes from Argentina and Brazil. Along with this, sunflower oil is mainly imported from Russia and Ukraine.

Weak rupee making imports more expensive

Another major reason is the weakening of the Indian rupee against the US dollar. Since the import of edible oil is paid for in dollars, due to weakening of the rupee the total cost of imports increases. Even if global prices remain stable.

What things can be affected?

The effect of expensive cooking oil is not limited to cooking at home only. Edible oil is also used in making many FMCG products like biscuits, namkeen, packaged snacks, soap and processed food. Because of this, rising oil prices may contribute to increasing inflation in many consumer products.

Also read: There is no trace of oil in this country, yet it is progressing in this modern era of energy, how?