NEW DELHI, November 1. /TASS/. India has increased its imports of sunflower oil from Russia 12-fold over the past four years, making Russia the largest supplier of this product to the country, The Economic Times reported, citing industry sources.

The surge in imports has been driven by the reliability of Russian seaports and competitive prices for Russian sunflower oil. The supply chain to India is expected to continue strengthening, ensuring Russia maintains its leading position in this segment of India’s import market.

Russia’s share in India’s total sunflower oil imports was around 10% in 2021 and rose to 56% in 2024. Last year, India imported 2.09 mln tons of sunflower oil from Russia - 12 times more than the roughly 175,000 tons imported in 2021.

India meets nearly 60% of its vegetable oil needs through imports. Palm oil accounts for almost 50% of total vegetable oil consumption in the country, with soybean and sunflower oils occupying the second and third positions, respectively.