India’s soyabean imports during the oil year 2025-26 ending September are likely to touch a record 9 lakh tonnes, a whopping increase over 0.02 lakh tonnes (lt) last oil year. The sharp increase in imports is due to demand-supply mismatch.

The Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has estimated that till May-end in the current oil year, soyabean imports have touched 6.3 lt, with bulk of them coming in the past four months. Based on the import trend, SOPA has revised the projections and expects imports to touch 9 lt for the year, from the earlier estimates of 6 lt for the year.

“Soyabean imports will be at an all-time high this year and should help us make up for the shortfall in supplies,” said DN Pathak, Executive Director, SOPA. The earlier highs in imports were about 6 lt, a couple of years ago.

Crushing, meal exports outlook raised

SOPA has also raised soyabean crushing figures to 104 lt from the earlier 102 lt. “We have also revised the Soybean meal exports upwards to 11 lakh tonnes from 10 lakh tonnes earlier,” Pathak said.

India imports soyabean mainly from the least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa such as Niger, Togo and Nigeria, where the non-GMO varieties are grown.

Till May-end the market arrivals were lower by 13 per cent at 72.50 lt compared to the corresponding last year’s 83.50 lt. Crushings during the October-May period of oil year 2025-26 were lower at 73 lt ( 79 lt0.

SOPA had estimated soyabean production of 110.26 lt for 2025-26 — about 14 per cent lower than previous year’s 128.82 lt — on decline in area and the output impacted by weather vagaries.

Feed sector offtake

Total crushing for the oil year 2025-26 are estimated lower at 104 lt (113.50 lt). As a result of lower crushing, the production of soyabean meal is expected to be lower at 82.09 lt (89.56 lt). Consumption by the feed sector is projected flat at 62 lt, while the offtake from the food sector is estimated flat at 8 lt for the year, according to SOPA.

The shorfall in supplies has led to an increase in prices in the domestic market and feed makers and consuming sectors such as the poultry sector have been expressing concern in the recent weeks. The Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association (CLFMA) said last week that the increase in soyabean meal prices, which have risen over 40 per cent in the recent weeks to around ₹65-66 per kg have led to the increased cost of feed production impacting farmers across the animal protein value chain.

The USDA recently raised India’s soyabean imports from 5 lt to 7 lt for 2025-26. India had a smaller soybean crop in 2025-26, and soybean meal prices reached nearly 60 per cent premium compared to US origin. “This surge in Indian soybean meal prices over the past month is driven by concerns over a weak monsoon impacting the upcoming kharif crop,” it said.

Published on June 15, 2026