Indian government may raise the import duty on vegetable oils such as refined palm oil and palm olein, sunflower oil and cottonseed oil for the third time since August 2017, amid lobbying by the country’s refiners and to protect local farmers. This move could come ahead of key state and general elections due to be held in 2018 and 2019, to attract farmerr. The government had raised import duties in August 2017 and again in November in the wake of intense lobbying by the Indian refiners, and in order to cater to farmers requests ahead of a key state election in Gujarat.