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India's palm oil imports drop 41% m/m to 9-month low

India's palm oil imports in December plunged 41% from a month previously to a ninemonth low, as a rally in prices to a 21/2year high triggered refiners to increase purchases of rival soyoil readily available at a discount, a leading trade body stated.

Lower palm oil imports by India, the world's greatest buyer of veggie oils, might weigh on benchmark Malaysian palm oil rates, but support U.S. soyoil futures.

Palm oil imports in December was up to 500,175 metric lots, the lowest because March 2024, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) stated in a declaration on Tuesday.

Imports of soyoil increased 3.2% to 420,651 loads, the greatest in four months, and sunflower oil imports fell 22.3% to 264,836 heaps, the trade body stated.

Lower imports of palm oil and sunflower oil reduced the nation's total vegetable oil imports in December by 24.3% to 1.23 million tons, the most affordable in 3 months, the SEA stated.

Palm oil is losing market share in India to more affordable soyoil as declining Malaysian palm oil exports due to tightening up supplies are driving consumers towards South American soyoil, the SEA said.

Palm oil normally trades at a discount to soyoil and sunflower oil, but falling stocks have raised its prices above rival oils, whose products are plentiful, traders said.

Palm oil's premium over rival oils has boiled down in the last couple of weeks, but the vegetable oil still holds a premium of more than $40 per heap over soyoil, which will motivate Indian purchasers to decrease imports even in January, stated a Mumbai-based dealership with an international trade home.

India purchases palm oil primarily from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, while it imports soyoil and sunflower oil from Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.

(source: Reuters)