The Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) said in a press release here today that of this RBD (refined, bleached and deodrised) palmolein imports made up 13.22 lakh tonnes.

During June also, the imports were up by more than three times compared to June last year, mainly on account of lower palmolein prices in Malaysia.

In June, edible oil imports totalled 5.64 lakh tonnes compared to 1.75 lakh tonnes in June 1998, SEA said.

Despite the rise in edible oil imports and demand from SEA to raise the duty on such imports, allowed under open general licence (OGL), government has maintained that any action to curb the shipments was unlikely.

Last week, food minister Surjit Singh Barnala told PTI that edible oil imports was on demand and notin excess of the quantity required in the country.

India's edible oil demand for 1998-99 season has been put at 82 lakh tonnes and domestic supply at 14-15 lakh tonnes. The demand-supply gap is expected to be bridged through imports.

In fact, concerned over oilseed prices falling lower than the minimum support prices (MSP) government has asked the National Cooperative Agricultural Marketing Federation (NAFED) to procure the seeds as part of market intervention operations.

Oilseed prices have crashed in view of a sharp rise in edible oil imports. Though SEA is opposed to largescale imports of edible oil, it favours imports of oilseeds.

This is since only 35 per cent of the oil extraction units capacity is being currently utilised. However, a significant feature of the edible oil import scenario is the decrease in shipments of palmolein into the country compared with the same period last year.

During June this year, RBD palmolein imports were less than 50 per cent of the total edible oil imports intothe country compared to nearly 75 per cent it enjoyed during the same period last year.

Even for the first nine months of the current season, palmolein imports are about 55 per cent of the total imports against 70-75 per cent during the same period last year.