Aided by good monsoon, India is set to produce 25 million tonnes of oilseeds this year compared to 15.57 million tonnes last year, allowing enhanced production of vegetable oils at 7.50 million tonnes, a visiting senior Indian industry official said in Beijing on Friday.
"The production of oilseeds is expected to be 25 million tonnes this year compared to 15.57 million tonnes last year, when the industry suffered badly due to severe drought," President of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India, Devi Prasad Khandelia, said.
The domestic vegetable oil availability this year is expected to be 7.50 million tonnes compared to 5.54 million tonnes last year, he said.
Khandelia, who is currently leading the first-ever industry delegation to China said that the industry was expecting lower imports this year due to the expected high oilseeds yield this year.
India's import of vegetable oil this year will be 4.5 million tonnes compared to 5.39 million tonnes last year, he said.
The import of edible oil this year is expected to be 4.20 million tonnes compared to 5.11 million tonnes last year.
Likewise, the import of non-edible oil this year is forecast at 0.30 million tonnes compared to 0.28 million tonnes last year.
India's oilseeds production this year is also expected to be much higher than last year, he said while pointing out that the total yield will be 31.2 million tonnes compared to 20.7 million tonnes last year.