New Delhi, Aug 29 (KNN) The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) will sign an agreement with the Thai Palm Oil Crushing Mills Association on September 28 in Mumbai to foster cooperation between Indian importers and refiners and Thai producers and exporters of crude palm oil, reported The Hindu Businessline.

A 19-member delegation of importers and refiners led by SEA President Ajay Jhunjhunwala visited Thailand between August 23 to 27 to comprehensively study the oil palm cultivation region in Surat Thani, BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA informed.

The delegation engaged in a series of productive business-to-business meetings with prominent Thai crushers, refiners, and exporters of palm oil in Surat Thani, facilitating a deeper understanding of the capabilities of Thai producers and exporters. The itinerary also included a visit to Krabi Port, providing valuable insights into the logistics of supplying crude palm oil to India, he said.

As per reports, the SEA delegation met with senior Thai government officials, including Tamasak Wicharaya, Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs; Burin Sukphisal, member of the Thai Palm Oil Policy Committee; and Supatra Sawaengsri, Director at the Department of International Trade Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce in Thailand.

Mehta informed that the discussions focussed on Thai government’s long-term oil palm development policies and the potential for expanded bilateral trade through increased exports of crude palm oil to India.

SEA, in conjunction with its associate Solidaridad, extended an offer to assist the Thai palm oil crushing industry in establishing a sustainable palm oil framework tailored to local conditions. The proposal was met with a positive reception, he said.

India’s annual vegetable oil imports, totalling over 14 million tonnes (mt), encompass a substantial share of palm oil products. Of this, around 8–8.5 mt is sourced primarily from Indonesia and Malaysia. Thailand has emerged as an important player in this market, with its crude palm oil production at around 3.2–3.5 mt annually. Of this, around 1 mt is exported, predominantly to India.  (KNN Bureau)