Palm Oil Imports Projected to Reach 14-Month High

Mumbai. Industry analysts estimate that palm oil imports in October 2026 will rise by 6% compared to September, reaching 866,000 tonnes.

Given the substantial import volume into India—a major consumer—one might have expected a sharp increase in the benchmark crude palm oil (CPO) futures price on the Kuala Lumpur-based Bursa Malaysia Derivatives (BMD) exchange.

However, this has not materialized, as Malaysia’s surplus palm oil stocks surged to an all-time high of 3.51 million tonnes by the end of September 2026. These stocks are expected to remain high throughout October.

According to industry observers, soybean oil imports in October are projected to increase by 10% over September, reaching 653,000 tonnes, while sunflower oil imports are expected to nearly double, climbing to 223,000 tonnes. Import volumes are likely to remain robust in November as well.