The association, which represents India’s edible oil refining industry, highlighted that the country’s vegetable oil imports; primarily palm and soybean oils, have stabilized and are beginning to ease.
Demand for protein-rich feed is rising with Malawi’s growing poultry and aquaculture industries, while edible oils offer an import-substitution opportunity.
The plant is designed to crush up to 35 million bushels of soybeans annually, with plans to process sunflower, canola, and camelina by 2026.
The surge is driven mainly by favorable weather conditions and an expanded olive harvest expected to hit 2 million tons, compared with 950,000 tons last year.
The government had aimed to buy between 4-5 million tons of wheat from local farmers during the 2024/25 season.