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In his monthly letter to the members of SEA on Tuesday, Sanjeev Asthana, SEA President, said India remains the world’s leading exporter of castor oil, meeting nearly 90 per cent of global demand
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The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) has said the reduction in the production of castorseed could impact its export from India in 2025.
In his monthly letter to the members of SEA on Tuesday, Sanjeev Asthana, SEA President, said India remains the world’s leading exporter of castor oil, meeting nearly 90 per cent of global demand.
“However, production has declined to 15.6 lakh tonnes from 19.6 lakh tonnes due to reduced acreage and adverse weather. This may impact exports in 2025, which is concerning for the industry,” he said.
Ban on rice bran
On the ban on export of de-oiled rice bran (DORB), he said the government imposed a ban on DORB exports in July 2023 due to high domestic prices. With prices now below ₹9,000 a tonne and reduced demand due to increasing use of DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles), a surplus has emerged. This has severely impacted rice bran processors and millers in states such as West Bengal and Odisha.
He said the SEA has urged the government to lift the ban to support the processing industry and foreign exchange earnings. A virtual meeting was held with Arun Kumar, Senior Economist, Ministry of Agriculture, after SEA’s representation to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, he said.
Duty differential
Stressing the need to increase duty differential between crude and refined palm oil, he said the excessive import of refined palmolein has led to underutilization of domestic refining capacity. SEA has requested the Department of Food to increase the duty differential between crude and refined palm oil from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent. SEA has held discussions with Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister, and Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The proposal is under active consideration.
He said the Supreme Court, in a case between Noble Resources and Trading India Pvt Ltd (NRTIPL) and the Union of India, has passed a judgement in favour of NRTIPL and ruled that the process of obtaining soyabean oil from soyabeans is a manufacturing process. It stated that soyabean oil is not an agricultural produce. This judgement would prove beneficial to members facing a similar situation, he said.
Published on May 20, 2025
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