India’s Oilmeal Exports Drop To 12.82 Lakh Tonnes In April-August: SEA

New Delhi, Nov 9 (KNN) India’s oilmeal exports declined 28.51 per cent to 12.82 lakh tonnes during April-August 2026, compared with 17.93 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period last year, mainly due to a sharp fall in soybean meal shipments, according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).

Soybean meal exports fell 73 per cent to 2.05 lakh tonnes from 7.57 lakh tonnes a year earlier. The SEA attributed the decline to the higher price of Indian soybean meal compared with international benchmarks ,PTI reported.

"Indian soybean meal has faced severe pricing pressure in international markets during August 2026, trading around USD 622 per tonne compared to global benchmarks near USD 445 per tonne," the SEA said in a statement.

The association said cheaper supplies from Argentina and Brazil continued to capture market share. Strong domestic demand from livestock and poultry feed manufacturers, Red Sea shipping disruptions and high maritime freight costs also constrained exports.

Rapeseed meal exports stood at 8.80 lakh tonnes, compared with 9.15 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. Castorseed meal exports declined to 96,245 tonnes from 1.06 lakh tonnes, while groundnut meal shipments fell to 3,231 tonnes from 14,960 tonnes.

China was the largest importer of Indian oilmeals during April-August, with purchases rising to 4.01 lakh tonnes from 3.75 lakh tonnes. Imports by Bangladesh increased to 2.17 lakh tonnes from 1.78 lakh tonnes, while shipments to Vietnam rose to 1.24 lakh tonnes from 92,189 tonnes.

Exports to South Korea declined to 1.54 lakh tonnes from 2.10 lakh tonnes during the same period.

India’s total oilmeal exports stood at 37.68 lakh tonnes in the 2025-26 financial year.

(KNN Bureau)