India’s palm oil imports fell by 26% in April, reaching a four-month low, as weak institutional demand and rising prices, which narrowed the price differential between palm oil and competing oils, discouraged processors from increasing purchases, the Edible Oils Association of India (SEA) reported, confirming data published by news outlets in early May.
A decline in imports by the world’s largest vegetable oil importer could lead to increased inventories at leading producers in Indonesia and Malaysia, putting pressure on prices.
India’s palm oil imports in April fell to 513,000 tonnes, the lowest since December 2025, compared to 689,000 tonnes in March.
Soybean oil imports rose 25% to 360,000 tonnes, reaching the highest level in four months, while sunflower oil imports increased by about 121% to 434,000 tonnes, the highest in 22 months.
Vegetable oil producers in Kazakhstan have launched a new export route to Iran across the Caspian Sea, completing several trial shipments of rapeseed and sunflower oil in spring 2026, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture said.
According to Kazakhstan’s National Association of Oilseed Processors (NAOPK), the first shipment, consisting of 5,000 tons of rapeseed oil, departed from the Port of Aktau on April 4.
The buyer was the Iranian company Kourosh Food Industry, while the supplier was one of Kazakhstan’s largest oil-processing plants affiliated with the association.
On May 13, loading was completed for a second vessel carrying 5,000 tons of sunflower oil.
The Agriculture Ministry said the shipments demonstrate strong interest among Iranian importers in products from Kazakhstan and point to the potential of the Caspian export corridor.
NAOPK Chairman Yadykar Ibragimov said the Iranian market holds significant potential for exports of Kazakhstan’s oil and fat products.
According to Ibragimov, Iran imports around 3.5 million tons of vegetable oils and oilseed meal annually, including approximately 1.5 million tons of vegetable oils.
“Our countries share a border across the Caspian Sea and also benefit from a preferential customs regime under the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran,” Ibragimov said.
He noted that Kazakhstan exported more than 100,000 tons of oil and fat products to Iran over the past three years, with around 94% consisting of oilseed meal.
“The launch of vegetable oil transshipment through the Port of Aktau will significantly increase supply volumes,” he added.
According to association estimates, the Aktau route could handle three to four shipments per month, allowing annual exports of 150,000-200,000 tons of vegetable oil through the new corridor.
In the longer term, exports of vegetable oils and oilseed meal to Iran could exceed 500,000 tons annually.
According to the USDA forecast for the 2026/27 season, Ukraine will increase sunflower seed production, sunflower oil output, and exports after a weaker 2025/26 MY. At the same time, Russia will retain its status as the world’s largest sunflower oil producer.
Sunflower Seed: Ukraine Recovering After a Weak Season
The USDA projects Ukraine’s sunflower seed production at 13.5 mln t in the 2026/27 MY, compared to 11 mln t in 2025/26 MY. This means the harvest could increase by 2.5 mln t, or nearly 23%. As a result, Ukraine is expected to recover from this season’s 10-year low in sunflower production.
Russia is also expected to increase production — from 17.5 mln t to 19.2 mln t (+1.7 mln t or about 10%).
In the 2025/26 MY, Russia outpaced Ukraine by 6.5 mln t in sunflower seed production, but in the new season the gap could narrow to 5.7 mln t.
Sunflower Oil: Ukraine Regaining Volumes
The USDA expects the strongest recovery in sunflower oil production. Ukraine’s sunflower oil output in the 2026/27 MY is forecast at 5.633 mln t, compared to 4.73 mln t in 2025/26 MY. This is an increase of 903 KMT, or around 19%.
Russia’s production is also projected to grow — from 6.897 mln t to 7.517 mln t (+620 KMT or 9%).
- 2025/26 MY — 2.17 mln t;
- 2026/27 MY — 1.88 mln t.
The export gap in Ukraine’s favour could reach around 250 KMT in the new season.
Sunseed prices in Ukraine have a high chance of further growth, despite the recent market correction due to geopolitical factors and falling oil prices. This was reported by the analytical department of the agricultural cooperative PUSK, established within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (VAR).
Geopolitical news caused a wave of decline in raw material markets. The correction also affected sunflower oil. “Last week, after Trump’s statements about the possible end of the conflict with Iran, oil prices dropped sharply, and with it, stock market assets. This also pulled down the physical vegetable oil market, so sunflower oil fell by about $10-15 per ton. In the Ukrainian market, processors began to reduce purchase prices for sunflower seeds. But the market did not receive additional supply: farmers continue to restrain sales. Among the reasons are the sowing campaign and the more profitable sale of corn at the moment,” analysts note.
At the same time, fundamental factors remain positive for the sunflower market. In particular, sunflower oil currently looks undervalued. “Sunflower oil is currently cheap compared to soybean oil, although historically it should have been traded more expensive. This creates the prerequisites for a price recovery in the near term. Even without further growth in soybean oil, sunflower oil has the potential to move up. The market will also be supported by consistently high oil prices,” the PUSK believes.
The domestic sunflower market continues to experience a supply shortage.
“Sunseed supply is currently very low, and even large plants operate with minimal raw material reserves — a maximum of two weeks. Some companies are currently purchasing only 300–700 tons per week, which is very small volumes for the market. We can expect the market to return to the price level of 34–35 thousand UAH/t,” the analysts conclude.
Kazakhstan has reduced sunflower seed exports due to high prices and customs duties, APK News reports.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, sunflower seed exports from Kazakhstan totaled 134,000 tons in the first seven months of the 2025/26 marketing year (January-March), a 16.5% decrease compared to the same period last year. This was reported by Yevgeny Karabanov, Head of the Analytics Committee of the Kazakhstan Grain Union.
The main reason for the decline is the high cost of sunflower seed in Kazakhstan and the export customs duty.
Compared to the same period last marketing year, sunflower seed exports increased only to Turkey – by 5.8 times, to 7,000 tons.
However, compared to the same period last marketing year, sunflower seed shipments to the following other countries decreased: China – by 17%, to 111,100 tons; Uzbekistan – by 4.5 times, to 3,000 tons; Tajikistan increased almost 2.8 times, to 0.9 thousand tons.
"China, the main buyer of Kazakhstan's sunflower seeds, purchased 83% of the total export volume in the first seven months of the current marketing year. In the previous marketing year, this figure was 84%," commented E. Karabanov.
In the first seven months of the 2025/26 marketing year, sunflower seed exports reached 65% of the projected annual export potential.
Sunflower seed imports, primarily from Russia's border regions, totaled 71 thousand tons in the first seven months of the current marketing year, which is only 0.7% less than the same period last marketing year.
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Source: https://apk-news.kz/news/item-6812
The Business Research Company's Lecithin Market Trends and Analysis by Region, and Segment Forecast to 2030
LONDON, GREATER LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, May 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- "Lecithin market to surpass $2 billion by 2030. In comparison, the Lecithin And Phospholipids market, which is considered as its parent market, is expected to be approximately $3 billion by 2030, with Lecithin to represent around 67% of the parent market. Within the broader Food And Beverages industry, which is expected to be $9,313 billion by 2030, the Lecithin market is estimated to account for nearly 0.02% of the total market value.
Which Will Be The Biggest Region In The Lecithin Market In 2030? Asia-Pacific will be the largest region in the lecithin market in 2030, valued at $1.01 billion. The market is expected to grow from $0.64 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%. The strong growth can be attributed to demand for natural emulsifiers in food and beverage products, adoption of lecithin in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations, processed and convenience food consumption, a strong soybean processing industry in countries such as China and India, and awareness of clean-label and plant-based ingredients across the Asia-Pacific region.
Which Will Be The Largest Country In The Global Lecithin Market In 2030? China will be the largest country in the lecithin market in 2030, valued at $0.56 billion. The market is expected to grow from $0.35 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%. The strong growth can be attributed to food processing and convenience food industries, demand for natural emulsifiers in bakery and confectionery products, utilization of lecithin in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations, domestic production and processing of soybeans, and adoption of lecithin in functional food and dietary supplement applications across the country.
In their May report, USDA FAS experts made almost no changes to the world oilseed balance for the 2025/26 MY, and the main focus was on the first harvest estimate for the 2026/27 season.
The forecast for global oilseed production in 2026/27 MY has been increased to a record 718.1 million tons, which will exceed the 2025/26 MY figure by 19.6 million tons (686.65 million tons in 2024/25 MY and 657.5 million tons in 2023/24 MY), in particular soybeans - by 13.9 to 441.54 million tons, sunflowers - by 7 to 61.78 million tons, rapeseed - by 1.4 to 96.89 million tons, which compensates for the decrease in cotton harvest by 3 million tons to 39.25 million tons.
Global oilseed processing is forecast to grow by 4% to 606 million tonnes in 2026/27 (585.5 million tonnes in 2025/26, 568.8 million tonnes in 2024/25 and 543.74 million tonnes in 2023/24) due to increased soybean processing in the US, Brazil, China and Argentina, sunflower processing in Ukraine, the EU, the Russian Federation and Argentina, and increased canola processing in Canada.
World ending stocks of oilseeds in 2026/27 MY are estimated at 146.7 million tons (146 million tons in 2025/26 MY, 144.3 million tons in 2024/25 MY, and 136.1 million tons in 2023/24 MY), which will restrain further price growth.
Global soybean production in 2026/27 MY is expected to grow to 441.5 million tons, in particular in the USA - by 4.7 to 120.7 million tons, in Brazil - by 6 to 186 million tons due to increased sowing areas, as well as in Paraguay, the Russian Federation and China, while production will decrease in Canada, Argentina, Ukraine and Uruguay.
July soybean futures in Chicago rose 1.1% to $450.8/t after the report was released (+5.3% after the April report), with November futures trading $8/t cheaper.
The forecast for global sunflower production has been increased to 61.78 million tons (54.74 million tons in 2025/26 MY and 53 million tons in 2024/25 MY), in particular for the Russian Federation - up to 19.2 (17.5 and 16.9) million tons, Ukraine - up to 13.5 (11 and 13) million tons, the EU - up to 9.9 (8.7 and 8.7) million tons, and Argentina - up to 8 (7 and 5.6) million tons.
In Ukraine, sunflower prices, after reaching the maximum level of the season of 33,500-34,000 UAH/t with delivery to the plant at 50% oil content (which is 2,500 UAH/t higher than last month), have now decreased to 31,600-32,500 UAH/t under the pressure of falling oil prices.
India imports 15-16 million tonnes ofedible oil annually because farmers see oilseeds as "risky" crops.
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "austerity" speech caught national attention for several reasons -- his appeal to save fuel, avoid buying gold for at least a year, work remotely, and more. While this surprised the public (and markets), many were particularly struck by his request to reduce the use of vegetable oil.
Used daily in Indian kitchens, vegetable oil is (or feels like) a staple. But many Indians do not realise that most of the edible oil sold at kirana stores -- even in the remotest corners of the country -- is imported. This realisation has raised a crucial question: why is India, an agriculture-dominated economy, unable to produce enough edible oil for its own people?
In fact, India is now one of the world's largest importers of edible oils. Reports suggest the country spends about Rs 1.61 lakh crore every year -- nearly $18.3 billion -- to import around 16 million tonnes of edible oil. This single item drains massive foreign exchange. The contrast is stark: India has vast arable land and millions of farmers, yet oilseed crops occupy a small share of farmland compared to rice and wheat.
Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and former Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), says this paradox is rooted in both science and policy.
According to him, India imports 15-16 million tonnes of edible oil annually because farmers see oilseeds as risky crops. Erratic rainfall, pests, diseases, and unstable prices make oilseeds less attractive than rice and wheat.
"Rice and wheat are very stable crops," Dr Pathak says. "They are backed by assured procurement and strong policy support. Oilseeds do not enjoy the same confidence among farmers." He, however, adds that India must aim to be "Atmanirbhar" in oilseeds.
Another challenge is geography. Pulses and oilseeds are often pushed to marginal lands with poor soil fertility, limited irrigation, and low inputs. The result is...