India’s oilmeals exports for April 2017 increased 19 per cent to 135,474 tonnes as compared to 113,978 tonnes in the corresponding month last year, the latest data shared by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) revealed.

AT 1,24,374 tonnes, soybean meal exports held the largest share in overall oilmeal exports from India.

Shipments of soyameal and other value-added products in April registered an eight-fold increase as against 12,295 tonnes in the corresponding period last year, according to provisional estimates released by The Soyabean Processors Association of India.

The export of Indian Soymeal and its other value added products in the current Oil year from October 2016 to April 2017 stood at 12.43 lakh tonnes as against 2.51 lakh tonnes during the same period last year, showing an increase by 395.22 per cent.

India’s soyameal exports rose on continued strong demand from countries such as Bangladesh and France, said a separate statement issued by the Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA).

Top buyers

Bangladesh, France and Germany were the top three buyers of Indian soyameal in April. Bangladesh bought 29,400 tonnes, while France purchased 25,861 tonnes.

Germany bought 25,351 tonnes during the period.

In the current oil year 2016-17 (October- September), total soymeal exports during the October 2016-April 2017 stood at 10.26 lakh tonnes, a more than four-fold increase over the corresponding last year’s 1.98 lakh tonnes.

Oil-year ending

India had exported a mere 2.61 lakh tonnes in the oil-year ending September 2016 as the Indian meal was outpriced in the world market on account of higher prices and lower domestic output in 2015-16.

The industry expects total soyameal shipments to exceed two million tonnes in the current oil year, ending September, on higher output and competitive prices.