India’s farm produce import bill was up by over 20 per cent at $27 billion during the 2024-25 fiscal on rising imports of edible oils, pulses and cotton, among other products such as fruits and vegetables. In the previous year, the import value of these agri products stood at over $22.13 billion.
Vegoils continue to top the agri import basket followed by pulses, fruits and vegetables and cotton, per the recently released Commerce Ministry data. Vegoil imports during the financial year were up 16.55 per cent in value terms at $17.33 billion from previous year’s $14.87 billion. Increase in the global prices of edible oils such as palm oil during the year contributed to the increased import bill.
“Though our imports are likely to be in the range of 15.5-16 million tonnes for the year, the overall import value has gone up because palm had turned expensive during the year” said B V Mehta, executive director, Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA). India imported 15.53 million tonnes of edible oils during financial year 2023-24.
With palm oil turning expensive, India’s imports of other edible oils such as sunflower oil and soyabean oil have gone up during the year. In the first five months of the oil year 2024-25 starting November till March, vegoil imports stood at 5.8 million tonnes, marginally down from 5.83 million tonnnes in the same period last year, as per SEA latest data.
India’s import dependence in case of edible oils and pulses continues to remain high on growing demand amidst changing dietary habits.
The import of pulses recorded a 46 per cent increase at a record $5.47 billion during the year. Last fiscal, the pulses imports stood at $3.74 billion. The pulses imports registered a sharp increase during the year as the Government allowed the free imports of varieties such as tur, urad, yellow peas and chana (desi chikpea) to meet the domestic shortfall and contain the price rise during the year.
Pulses imports in value terms are expected to have touched 6.7 million tonnes during 2024-25, up from 4.4 million tonnes in the previous year.
Cotton imports in value terms doubled to $1.21 billion during 2024-25, up 103 per cent from the previous year’s $0.59 billion. Taking advantage of the lower global prices, the Indian cotton traders and mills stepped up the imports of the fibre crop during the year, sources said.
Also, a lower domestic crop, which fell to a three year low during the 2024-25 season, aided the imports. India’s cotton production is seen at a three year low of 294.25 lakh bales of 170 kg each during the current 2024-25 crop season ending September on decline in area and yields.
Similarly, the fruits and vegetables imports registered an 11 per cent increase to $3.26 billion from $2.92 billion a year ago. Rising disposable income coupled with growing population is fuelling demand for imported fruits such as apples, dragon fruits, avacado and mandarins among others.
Published on April 21, 2025
India’s farm produce import bill was up by over 20 per cent at $27 billion during the 2024-25 fiscal on rising imports of edible oils, pulses and cotton, among other products such as fruits and vegetables. In the previous year, the import value of these agri products stood at over $22.13 billion.
Vegoils continue to top the agri import basket followed by pulses, fruits and vegetables and cotton, per the recently released Commerce Ministry data. Vegoil imports during the financial year were up 16.55 per cent in value terms at $17.33 billion from previous year’s $14.87 billion. Increase in the global prices of edible oils such as palm oil during the year contributed to the increased import bill.
“Though our imports are likely to be in the range of 15.5-16 million tonnes for the year, the overall import value has gone up because palm had turned expensive during the year” said B V Mehta, executive director, Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA). India imported 15.53 million tonnes of edible oils during financial year 2023-24.
With palm oil turning expensive, India’s imports of other edible oils such as sunflower oil and soyabean oil have gone up during the year. In the first five months of the oil year 2024-25 starting November till March, vegoil imports stood at 5.8 million tonnes, marginally down from 5.83 million tonnnes in the same period last year, as per SEA latest data.
India’s import dependence in case of edible oils and pulses continues to remain high on growing demand amidst changing dietary habits.
The import of pulses recorded a 46 per cent increase at a record $5.47 billion during the year. Last fiscal, the pulses imports stood at $3.74 billion. The pulses imports registered a sharp increase during the year as the Government allowed the free imports of varieties such as tur, urad, yellow peas and chana (desi chikpea) to meet the domestic shortfall and contain the price rise during the year.
Pulses imports in value terms are expected to have touched 6.7 million tonnes during 2024-25, up from 4.4 million tonnes in the previous year.
Cotton imports in value terms doubled to $1.21 billion during 2024-25, up 103 per cent from the previous year’s $0.59 billion. Taking advantage of the lower global prices, the Indian cotton traders and mills stepped up the imports of the fibre crop during the year, sources said.
Also, a lower domestic crop, which fell to a three year low during the 2024-25 season, aided the imports. India’s cotton production is seen at a three year low of 294.25 lakh bales of 170 kg each during the current 2024-25 crop season ending September on decline in area and yields.
Similarly, the fruits and vegetables imports registered an 11 per cent increase to $3.26 billion from $2.92 billion a year ago. Rising disposable income coupled with growing population is fuelling demand for imported fruits such as apples, dragon fruits, avacado and mandarins among others.
Published on April 21, 2025
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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