MUMBAI (Sept 23): Indian refiners cancelled 100,000 metric tons of palm oil purchases for delivery between October and December, as New Delhi's move to raise import duties due to a rally in overseas prices prompted them to book profits, five trade officials told Reuters.

Refiners in the world's largest importer of palm oil cancelled this quantity over the past four days, including 50,000 tons on Monday, after Malaysian palm oil futures jumped to their highest level in two and a half months.

The Indian cancellations could limit the rally in Malaysian palm oil prices, although they could support soyoil prices as some refiners shift to soyoil.

India earlier this month raised the basic import tax on crude and refined edible oils by 20 percentage points, which effectively increases the total import duty on crude palm oil (CPO) to 27.5% from 5.5%.

"The hefty duty hike and the jump in Malaysian prices caught everyone off guard," said an Indian buyer who operates a refinery on the east coast and cancelled palm oil shipments for October delivery.

"It created a situation where refiners can make more money by cancelling old purchases instead of refining and selling. Sellers are happy too, since they can now sell at higher prices to new buyers."

India, on average, imports 750,000 tons of palm oil every month, and the cancellation of 100,000 tons represents about 13.3% of monthly imports.

CPO is currently being offered at about US$1,080 (RM4,538.16) a ton, including cost, insurance and freight, in India for October delivery, compared with around US$980 to US$1,000 a month ago, giving a profit margin of US$80 to US$100 to buyers.

East Coast-based refiners are washing out on contracts by cancelling them and making a very decent profit, said Aashish Acharya, the vice president of Patanjali Foods Ltd, a leading importer of edible oils.

India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

"Refiners aren't sure about the demand for the December quarter with these higher prices. They are also worried about whether the prices will hold. That's why they are cancelling contracts," said Sandeep Bajoria, the chief executive of Sunvin Group, a vegetable oil brokerage and consultancy firm.

Price-sensitive Asian buyers traditionally rely on palm oil due to its low cost and quick shipping times. However, with the recent rise in prices, palm oil is now trading at a premium over soyoil.

Buyers will prefer buying cheaper soyoil and sunflower oil for winter months than expensive palm oil, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house.

India's palm oil imports usually moderate during winter months as the tropical oil solidifies at lower temperatures.

India buys imports soybean and sunflower oil mainly from Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.

Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee