New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) Vegetable oil imports declined by 17.3 per cent to 7.21 lakh tonnes in January this year, against the corresponding month last year on higher local production, Solvent Extractors'' Association (SEA) said today.
"Import of edible oils decreased as local production of oil is higher due to crushing parity compared to same period of last year coupled with higher production of oilseeds during kharif season," SEA said in a statement today.
To meet the demand-supply imbalance, India had imported 8.72 lakh tonne vegetable oil, which consists of both edible and non-edible oils, in January, 2010.
Of the total vegetable oil imports in January this year, edible oil consists to 6.91 lakh tonnes and the remaining 0.29 lakh tonnes were non-edible oils.
India had imported 7.53 lakh tonnes and 6.69 lakh tonnes vegetable oil, respectively in December and November last year.
The cumulative imports of vegetable oils during the first three-month of the current oil year (November-October) stood at 21.42 lakh tonnes against 24.13 lakh tonne in the same period last year, recording a dip of 11.2 per cent.