New Delhi: The pressure on India’s kitchen budget may rise further as global uncertainty and the Middle East crisis add fresh concerns over edible oil prices. India remains heavily dependent on overseas markets for cooking oil, with nearly 60 percent of its requirement met through imports.
According to recent figures cited by the Solvent Extractors Association of India, the country imported around 166.51 lakh tonnes of edible oil during the financial year 2025 to 2026. The import bill stood at nearly 19.35 billion dollars, showing how deeply India’s food economy is linked to global commodity prices.
The burden has grown sharper in recent months. Between November 2025 and April 2026, India’s edible oil import bill reportedly crossed ₹87,000 crore, marking an increase of around 19 percent. This rise reflects both higher international prices and India’s continued dependence on imported oil for household and industrial consumption.
India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, soybean oil from Argentina and Brazil, and sunflower oil largely from Russia and Ukraine. A weaker rupee is adding to the pressure because edible oil imports are paid for in dollars, making purchases costlier even when global prices remain steady.
The impact may not remain limited to home kitchens. Costlier edible oil can also push up prices of biscuits, namkeen, packaged snacks, processed food and even soap, as the FMCG sector uses edible oil in several products. For consumers, this means the real pressure may be felt not only in cooking oil bottles, but across the monthly grocery basket.