{
  "id": 1666087,
  "title": "India’s cooking-oil imports jump for festival season—but not war-hit sunflower",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/indias-cooking-oil-imports-jump-for-festival-season-but-not-war-hit",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T07:44:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/08/18/india-oil-imports-ukraine-sunflower-delays/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "India purchased a 10-month high of approximately 1.5 million tons of vegetable oil in July 2026, marking a third increase from the previous month. This surge in imports was primarily driven by palm oil, which surged by half, and soybean oil, which rose by about one-third. The information was compiled by UkrAgroConsult. However, sunflower oil showed minimal growth, with a mere 4% increase, making it the weakest performer among the three oils. Most of India's sunflower oil comes from Ukraine and Russia, the world's leading exporters.\n\nSunflower oil imports in India are expected to decline in August, reaching their lowest level since February. This decline is attributed to the transportation challenges faced at Black Sea ports and buyers switching to soybean oil. The shift is not solely due to the ongoing conflict; soybean and palm oil are more affordable options, and India's domestic mills are producing less oil due to a smaller harvest. Rajesh Patel, a trader, explained to Reuters that the domestic mills' reduced output has prompted refiners to rely more on imports.\n\nExperts predict that soybean oil imports in India will surpass 500,000 tons per month leading into autumn. India's edible oil imports reached a 10-month high in July 2026 as refiners prepared for the festival season. However, the increase was predominantly in palm and soybean oil, while sunflower oil remained relatively stagnant.",
  "summary": "Indian refiners are stocking up for the festival season, but the war has left the world’s top sunflower supplier shut out of the boom.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}