India's cooking-oil imports rise ahead of festival season, but war-hit Ukraine misses out

Indian refiners are currently building up their cooking-oil stocks in preparation for the upcoming festival season, a period that traditionally brings a sharp rise in demand for food products, including edible oils, across the country. This seasonal buying push typically translates into a significant jump in import volumes, given India's position as one of the world's largest players in the edible oil market.

This time, however, one major supplier is missing out on the increased demand: Ukraine, the world's leading exporter of sunflower oil. The war, which has long affected Ukraine's economy and its ability to export goods, has left the country sidelined from this import boom. As a result, Indian buyers preparing for the festival season are unable to rely on Ukrainian sunflower oil to the extent they otherwise could without the disruptions caused by the conflict.

The situation reflects a broader pattern in which the war's impact on Ukraine's agricultural exports continues to reverberate far beyond the region, affecting global supply chains and trade flows. While the Indian market adjusts to festival-driven demand, Ukraine's sunflower oil sector remains on the sidelines, unable to capitalize on the favorable demand conditions created by India's rising purchases.

The report underscores how the war's consequences for Ukraine's export sector continue to shape international trade more than two years after the full-scale invasion began, affecting countries that would otherwise have been major buyers of Ukrainian goods.