India's Addiction To Costly Cooking Oil Imports Seen Lasting For Years

Indverjar munu líklega kaupa dýrar matarolíur erlendis frá í að minnsta kosti 15 ár í viðbót, þar sem eftirspurn heldur áfram að vera langt umfram innlenda framleiðslu.

Consumption is expected to climb in India by as much as 17 percent over the next four years, according to B.V. Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors' Association. A rise that steep would further widen the manufacturing gap: India will likely produce about 10 million tons of edible oils in 2021-22, compared with local consumption of  allt að 23 milljónir tonna.

India, one of the world's largest buyers of vegetable oils, has struggled to wean itself off imports. Farmers have typically focused on growing cotton and staples like rice, wheat and sugar, partly because the government sets price floors for these crops and buys some of them -- such as food grains -- in bulk for its welfare programs.

A shift in mindset is not likely overnight. High-yielding rapeseed and sunflower varieties and remunerative prices could boost the nation's output. But incentives for India's farmers to grow oilseeds are still weak, according to Siraj Chaudhry, managing director and chief executive officer of National Commodities Management Services Ltd., a warehousing and trading company.

Change has to start locally, he said, with a close watch on the crop cycle. Rice farmers should be encouraged to grow sunflower during India's rainy months, for instance, and wheat producers to cultivate rapeseed in the winter. Higher production of rice bran oil and expensive peanuts could also serve as supplements, he said.

Palm oil, in particular, has potential to close the production gap. Indians often prefer it over soft oils because it's cheaper and can be blended easily with other fats. It also lasts longer than other choices, making it cost-efficient for bulk users such as restaurants and hotels.

Það getur hjálpað að færa hluta af birgðakeðjunni á staðnum. Hrávörusérfræðingar hafa beitt indverskum stjórnvöldum að því að flytja inn sojabaunir og mylja þær innanlands, frekar en að kaupa bara sojaolíu. Það myndi hugsanlega auka sojaolíubirgðir heima og mæta aukinni eftirspurn eftir fóðri frá alifuglaiðnaðinum.

"It has to be a combination of factors, including providing new technology to boost productivity," Chaudhry said.

Kostnaðarvandamálið
Cooking oils are an integral part of the Indian diet. They play a starring role in feasts served during the country's massive festivals. They're used to fry jalebis, the sticky, road-side sweet, and for practically every other staple dish. Their ubiquity has made India the world's biggest importer of palm, soybean and sunflower oil.

Aukin innlend framleiðsla á pálmaolíu myndi auka heildarframboð á jurtaolíu í landinu, að sögn Mehta. Indland stefnir að því að framleiða 1 milljón tonn árið 2026 og auka framleiðslu enn frekar í 2,8 milljónir tonna árið 2030, upp úr 300,000 tonnum, sagði hann.

But price control is increasingly a wrinkle. India's attempts to ease inflation by cutting duties on edible oil imports and imposing limits on inventories have so far failed to lower costs. Most of the commodities are linked to global prices that have rallied in the past year due to a supply crunch and rising biofuel use.

India's consumer food prices rose in December at their fastest pace in six months amid soaring costs for vegetable oils, which jumped more than 24 percent from a year earlier, according to the statistics ministry. The increase comes despite a reduction in edible oil import taxes, which have further boosted world prices on expectations of higher purchases from India.

Matarkostnaður hækkar um allan heim. Uppskera sem hægt er að breyta í eldsneyti hefur orðið sérstaklega fyrir barðinu á hráolíukostnaði. Í Kuala Lumpur hækkaði verð á pálmaolíu, þeirri jurtaolíu sem mest er neytt, um meira en 30 prósent árið 2021. Sojaolía í Chicago hækkaði svipað á sama tímabili.

Á sama tíma, í Nýju Delí hækkuðu jurtaolíur -- eins og þær sem unnar eru úr repju, sólblómaolíu, sojabaunum og pálma -- á milli 12 prósent í meira en 30 prósent árið 2021, samkvæmt matvælaráðuneytinu.

Pálmaolía jók hagnaðinn í nýtt met á mánudaginn. Framtíðarviðmið í Kuala Lumpur hækkuðu um allt að 1,1 prósent í 5.380 ringgit (1.286) tonnið, sem er það hæsta sem hefur verið í sögunni hjá þeim -virkustu, veltandi samningum. Samkeppnishæf sojaolía í Chicago hækkaði á sjötta degi í 63,08 sent á pund.

"It will probably be better off if the country can meet 60 percent to 70 percent of its demand from domestic output and the rest from imports, reversing the current trend," Chaudhry said.