Import risks

Policy support can increase edible oil production

The supply crunch and consequent price spike in vegetable oils in the international market are set to pose formidable problems for India, which relies heavily on imported edible oils to meet its needs. The current global edible oil crisis, triggered by the disruption in sunflower oil supplies from Russia and Ukraine and below-par global production, has been exacerbated by the ban on palm oil exports by Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of this oil. The bulk of India’s cooking oil imports are of palm oil, nearly half of which are sourced from that country.

The prices of various edible oils, including