India’s oilmeals exports declined by 42.5 per cent in January due to a sharp fall in the exports of soybean meal and rapeseed meal.
India exported 2.60 lakh tonnes (lt) of oilmeals during January 2026 against 4.52 lt in January 2025. In January 2026, India’s export of soybean meal declined to 1.32 lt (2.86 lt in January 2025) and rapeseed meal to 64,782 tonnes (1.31 lt).
Total exports of oilmeals declined by 10 per cent during April-January 2025-26. India exported 32.35 lt of oilmeals during April-January 2025-26 against 36.03 lt in the corresponding period of 2024-25.
BV Mehta, Executive Director of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), said the rapeseed crushing has declined in the recent days. This has limited the processing into oil and oilmeal until the new crop supplies arrive in February-March.
Rapemeal prices rise
Giving the recent average price of Indian rapeseed meal (ex-Kandla), he said it is currently being quoted at ₹20,300 a tonne compared to ₹18,500 a tonne in November and December 2025, and ₹21,617 a tonne in January 2026.
Indian rapeseed meal is currently quoted at $235 a tonne FAS Kandla, while EU-origin rapeseed meal ex-mill Hamburg is quoted at $276 a tonne.
On the export of soybean meal, Mehta said Madhya Pradesh government introduced the ‘price deficiency payment scheme during the kharif season helping farmers to receive at least MSP (minimum support price) without physical procurement. This scheme is well received and appreciated by the farmers as well as industry. Farmer received the difference of MSP and market price while industry got the raw material at the market price which maintained the crushing and export of soybean meal. This was a win-win situation for farmers and industry, he said.
Approximately 16 lt of soybean meal was routed through this scheme during current kharif season up to December.
Major importers
South Korea imported 3.15 lt of oilmeals from India during April-January 2025-26 (5.99 lt in April-January 2024-25). This included 1.35 lt of rapeseed meal, 1.33 lt of castorseed meal, and 47,293 tonnes of soybean meal.
India exported 7.18 lt of oilmeals to China during April-January 2025-26 (31,105 tonnes). This included 7.10 lt of rapeseed meal and 7,207 tonnes of castorseed meal.
Bangladesh imported 3.33 lt oilmeals from India during April-January 2025-26 (6.21 lt). This included 2.12 lt of rapeseed meal and 1.21 lt of soybean meal.
During April-January 2025-26, Germany and France imported 1.78 lt and 1.22 lt of soybean meal from India, respectively.
Published on February 18, 2026
