THE GREAT INDIAN EDIBLE OIL SPILL

A deep dive into how India went from being almost self-sufficient in edible oils to the biggest importer in the world

- sayantan [e-mail]

Walk down most Indian streets in the evening and your olfactory senses will be overwhelmed by the mouth-watering aroma of bhajias being fried.

It isn’t just bhajias—across the country giant pans brimming with oil play host to all manner of savouries and sweets, including samosas, pakoras, batata vadas, tikkis, chips, jalebi, kachori and gulab jamun. It isn’t just in the evenings—it begins early in the morning, with pooris and medu vadas, and plays out through the day, with chicken, fish, koftas, cutlets and the like. And it isn’t only on the streets—these scenes play out in most Indian homes.

One thing that all of these sweets and savouries have in common is that they are all deep-fried in oil that is used again and again. And again. With millions consuming these tasty but transfat-laden, artery-clogging foods day after day, it is not surprising that India loses nearly 3 million lives a year to cardiovascular disease, leading some to call it the heart attack capital of the world.

Speaking in Hyderabad earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to reduce their cooking oil intake by 10%, for the sake of their health. He was also worried about the country’s fiscal health, and prodded Indians to lower consumption of fuel and gold as well. The PM's appeal was understandable, coming as it did on the back of the war in West Asia, which has choked global energy supplies, widened India’s current account deficit and pushed the rupee off a cliff.

But, while they will suffer through fuel price hikes, taking a bus or cycling or walking if necessary, most Indians are not quite ready to curb their dietary cravings, particularly the oily kind. And that is bad news for the fisc, because India depends on imports for 60% of its cooking oil requirements. Indeed, it is the largest importer of edible oils globally.