Malaysia targets broader palm oil product trade with India
Malaysian palm oil shipments to India increased by 40% from the corresponding period in 2025, according to Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.
Malaysia aims to sell India more palm oil products with higher value, expanding beyond crude palm oil shipments, Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad told Bernama. The targeted categories include personal-care products, oleochemicals, food ingredients and specialty fats.
Official Malaysian figures show that India bought more than 2.26 million tonnes of Malaysian palm oil, representing almost 18% of Malaysia's total production. Noraini said the volume was 40% higher than in the comparable period in 2025.
Noraini said her ministry and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) were stepping up contact with manufacturers, industry associations and refiners in India. Talks with India's government were also continuing, aimed at making trade between the countries more predictable and stable.
She said India's National Mission on Edible Oils — Oil Palm offered opportunities for closer cooperation. Malaysian businesses were already sharing expertise through private-sector arrangements to support India's cultivation requirements.
India imports about two-thirds of its requirements. Industry figures put its vegetable oil imports at more than 11.2 million tonnes through August, including sunflower oil and soyoil.
Noraini put Malaysia's palm oil production for January-August 2026 at 12.6 million tonnes, with around 19.7 million tonnes projected for the full year. Exports increased by approximately 806,000 tonnes, or 8.4%, over that period; she expects the annual figure to reach around 16 million tonnes.
The minister expects broadly stable production and exports in 2027. She said geopolitical developments had raised insurance, freight and energy costs, affected some shipping routes and added to volatility in edible oil prices.
