Reportedly demand for vegetable oil in india is poised to fall for the first time in decades as restaurants have pulled down their shutters to comply with a government order that imposed a 21-day nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Edible oil consumption in india, the world’s biggest importer of the cooking medium, trebled over the past two decades as the population grew, incomes rose, and restaurants sprang up to cater to a crowd that started eating out more often.
Most trade and industry officials now agree that India’s vegetable oil demand predominantly palm oil and soyoil will fall below previous year’s 23 million tonnes. The country’s consumption would drop by at least a quarter during the lockdown that began last tuesday, some dealers said.
"Our initial estimates suggest that edible oil demand will fall by about 475,000 tonnes during the 21-day lockdown," said sandeep Bajoria, chief executive of the Sunvin Group, a leading vegetable oil importer. indians, known for their penchant for calorie-laden curry and deep-fried food, consume about 1.9 million tonnes of edible oil a month, with restaurants mainly using palm oil, which accounts for two-thirds of the country’s vegetable oil imports. Lower demand in india, which imports nearly two-thirds of its vegetable oil requirements, will weigh on benchmark palm oil prices in malaysia, where the contract rose on Monday. Bajoria said palm oil producers such as malaysia and indonesia would tweak their output in line with India’s demand.
