Edible oil imports by India, the world's top buyer, are seen rising by 800,000 to 1 million tonnes in the new oil year starting in November from an estimated 4.1 million tonnes this year due to a poor local crop, traders said on Wednesday.
Deficient monsoon rains so far are expected to lower the country's oilseeds output in the current winter season by at least 20 percent from 13.9 million tonnes a year ago, they said.
"The monsoon was on a holiday from mid-June to mid-July in key oilseeds growing areas," said a Bombay-based trader, adding that there were scattered showers in some areas in the past three to four days but damage to crops had already taken place.
India's main winter oilseed-growing states of Gujarat, Madly Prudish and parts of southern Andorra Prudish have had deficient rainfall during this year's June-September monsoon season.
The poor rainfall is likely to lower yields and affect quality of seeds of the country's main winter oilseed crops of soyabean and groundnut, traders said.
India, the world's largest edible oil buyer, meets nearly 40 percent of its demand through imports of palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia and soft oils such as soyaoil and sunflower oil from Brazil and Argentina.
Traders said the summer output could also drop from last year's 9.96 million tonnes if major oilseed-growing areas did not get sufficient rains in the next two months, traders said.
"But good rainfall in August and September will provide enough soil moisture for sowing of summer crops," said G.G. Patel, an oil trader based in the western state of Gujarat.
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