Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indian citizens should reduce their edible oil consumption by approximately 10% [1].
The appeal comes as India struggles with a heavy reliance on foreign oil markets, which leaves the domestic economy vulnerable to global price volatility and trade imbalances.
India's dependence on imports is significant, with foreign shipments currently meeting 60% of the country's total edible oil consumption [7]. This reliance has grown recently; between November and April of the 2025-26 period, India imported 7.94 million tonnes of edible oil [2]. This represents a 13% rise compared to the previous period [3].
Palm oil shipments have seen an even sharper increase, nearly doubling in volume [4]. The surge in imports has created persistent price pressures for consumers across the country.
To combat these trends, the government is implementing policy measures to shift the trade balance. Officials said import dependence could drop to 48% over the next eight years [8]. As part of these broader efforts to stabilize the market, there has been a suggested five percent reduction in import duty [9].
Modi's call for a voluntary reduction in use is designed to complement these systemic changes. By lowering domestic demand, the government aims to reduce the volume of oil required from international markets [1], thereby easing the financial burden on the national economy.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indian citizens to reduce their edible oil consumption by approximately 10%.”
This move signals a strategic shift toward 'atmanirbharta' or self-reliance in food security. By combining a public appeal for behavioral change with fiscal adjustments like import duty reductions, the Indian government is attempting to decouple its domestic food prices from the volatility of global commodity markets.
