More than 3 lakh tonnes of castor oil exported in five months

20-Jun-2025 01:43 PM

Mumbai. Although India's castor oil export performance in 2025 has been slightly weaker compared to last year, it is still witnessing steady demand in many international markets.

According to data compiled by the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SIA), the country exported approximately 3.09 lakh tonnes of castor oil during the first five months of the calendar year 2025 (January to May), generating substantial revenue. However, the monthly export volumes were generally lower than those recorded in the same months of 2024.

Specifically, exports declined from 53,204 tonnes to 52,926 tonnes in January, from 65,663 tonnes to 58,092 tonnes in February, from 72,801 tonnes to 63,373 tonnes in April, and from 89,786 tonnes to 68,982 tonnes in May. Only in March did exports rise slightly from 65,170 tonnes in 2024 to 65,326 tonnes in 2025.

India had exported a record 6,49,510 tonnes of castor oil in 2024, up from 6,29,418 tonnes in 2023 and 5,82,399 tonnes in 2022.

Castor oil is a key non-edible industrial oil used across multiple industries. India is the world's largest producer and exporter of both castor oil and castor meal, effectively holding a near-monopoly in the global market. Despite fluctuating volumes, castor oil prices remain attractive and competitive internationally.

Gujarat continues to be the top castor-producing state in India, contributing 70 to 80 percent of the country’s total output. Rajasthan ranks second, while Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also produce castor to a smaller extent.

Castor is primarily a Kharif industrial oilseed crop. Sowing has already begun in South India and will begin in Gujarat and Rajasthan next month.

The domestic production of castor declined in the 2024–25 season compared to 2023–24. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the new crop typically arrives in November–December, while in Rajasthan it begins arriving from December–January and in Gujarat from January–February.