Indian vegetable oil body urges review of duty-free import from Nepal, standard packaging

The Indian Vegetable Oil Producers Association (IVPA) on Friday called on the government to review duty-free imports of refined oils from Nepal and reinstate standardised packaging for edible oils, saying current policies hurt domestic processors.

The demands came at the end of a two-day global roundtable marking IVPA's 50th anniversary, where the industry body highlighted concerns over Nepal's exports flooding northern and northeastern Indian markets.

"This not only undercuts domestic processors and refiners but also suppresses farmgate prices for oilseeds and contributes to underutilisation of processing capacities," IVPA said in a statement.

The association proposed channelling zero-duty imports through government agencies like the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) and other state agencies as a potential solution.

IVPA also urged the government to reintroduce standard packaging sizes for edible oils, saying the current variety of pack options creates consumer confusion over pricing.

On market outlook, IVPA said palm oil prices remained consolidated around current levels, with discounts to soybean oil likely to persist. It predicted Indian mustard price rallies would cool as the government releases stocks.

Globally, sunflower oil prices may ease as Black Sea region crops return to normal levels, the association said.

IVPA President Sudhakar Desai led the event discussions.

The association emphasised that given increasing global biofuel mandates, India should pursue higher domestic oilseed production through incentivised minimum support prices.