EUDR Compliance for Palm Oil Exporters in India 

India plays a crucial role in the global palm oil ecosystem—both as one of the world’s largest importers and as a growing re-exporter and processor of palm oil and its derivatives. Indian refineries and agro-industrial units, concentrated in states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, handle significant volumes of crude and refined palm oil imported primarily from Indonesia and Malaysia, converting them into edible oils, oleochemicals, and bio-based products for domestic and international markets. 

As global buyers and EU importers tighten sustainability criteria under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), India’s palm oil exporters face mounting expectations to prove deforestation-free, legally sourced, and fully traceable supply chains.  

Under EUDR, India’s palm oil value chain falls within multiple Harmonized System (HS) codes, including:

 • HS 1511 – Crude and refined palm oil

 • HS 1513 – Palm kernel oil and its fractions 

• HS 3823 – Industrial fatty acids

 • HS 3824 – Prepared binders, surfactants, and oleochemical derivatives

 • HS 3826 – Biodiesel and blended biofuel products

 • HS 2306 – Palm kernel expeller/meal used in animal feed The regulation took effect on 29 June 2023, with due diligence requirements starting 30 December 2025 for large and medium enterprises, and 30 June 2026 for small and micro exporters. To retain access to the EU market and strengthen global trade credibility, Indian palm oil exporters must integrate digital traceability, plantation-level geolocation mapping, and legality documentation across their sourcing networks. By adopting blockchain-based verification and AI-driven deforestation monitoring, India’s palm oil industry can transition toward transparent, sustainable, and EUDR-compliant trade, securing its position as a responsible and future-ready global supplier.   

 From fragmented supply chains to data gaps and legality verification  discover practical solutions and digital strategies to simplify compliance for Indian exporters. Read the full blog on [EUDR Compliance Challenges Faced by Indian Exporters]

Discover how palm oil exporters can meet the EU’s deforestation-free sourcing standards, streamline Due Diligence Statement (DDS) generation, and protect EU market access through digital traceability.  Read the Full Blog on EUDR Palm Oil Compliance 

 The implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) presents a complex set of challenges for India’s palm oil sector, particularly as the country transitions from being a large importer and processor to a growing re-exporter of palm oil and its derivatives. Below is a detailed look at the major hurdles Indian exporters face in meeting EUDR compliance requirements:

 India’s palm oil ecosystem depends heavily on imports from Indonesia, Malaysia, and West Africa, which are often processed and re-exported. This multi-tiered supply chain, involving traders, refiners, and intermediaries, complicates traceability to plantation level. Establishing clear visibility of origin and verifying deforestation-free sourcing across multiple countries remains a major operational challenge. 

EUDR compliance requires exporters to submit precise geolocation coordinates of plantations from which palm oil originates. However, most Indian importers and processors rely on bulk shipments without granular visibility into farm-level data from upstream suppliers. The absence of standardized digital data exchange between Indian refiners and Southeast Asian plantations creates a major compliance gap.

The regulation mandates that all palm oil must be legally produced, adhering to local land-use and environmental laws. Many sourcing regions in Indonesia and Malaysia face overlapping land rights and legality disputes, making it difficult for Indian buyers to verify legally compliant sourcing without robust documentation systems or third-party certification integration.

While leading refineries and exporters have started digitizing compliance records, a large portion of the sector especially medium and small processors still rely on paper-based documentation. This lack of end-to-end digital traceability systems hinders the ability to generate Due Diligence Statements (DDS) efficiently and meet audit requirements under EUDR. 

 EUDR compliance requires significant investment in technology, training, and supplier engagement. Collecting, storing, and validating large datasets on geolocation, legality, and sustainability status increases operational costs, especially for exporters with diverse supplier networks. Smaller players face financial and technical barriers to implementing digital due diligence systems

India’s exporters often rely on RSPO, ISCC, or local sustainability schemes, which partially overlap with EUDR requirements but are not direct substitutes. Aligning these existing certifications with EUDR’s strict deforestation-free proof and legality documentation demands data harmonization and cross-verification, adding further administrative complexity.

Non-compliance or incomplete documentation could result in delayed customs clearance, restricted access, or rejection of consignments by EU importers. This creates uncertainty for India’s re-export operations and downstream industries dependent on palm oil derivatives, such as food processing, cosmetics, and bio-based materials. The EUDR challenges India’s palm oil export ecosystem to transform from bulk commodity trade to data-driven, transparent, and traceable sourcing. Exporters must collaborate with suppliers, invest in blockchain-based traceability platforms, and build digital capabilities for geo-mapping, legality verification, and automated DDS generation. Early digital adoption and partnership with compliance tech platforms like TraceX can help Indian palm oil exporters reduce compliance risk, strengthen EU market access, and reinforce India’s reputation as a sustainable and responsible global trade partner

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) mandates that exporters of palm oil and its derivatives demonstrate their supply chains are deforestation-free, legally sourced, and traceable to the plantation of origin. For India’s palm oil sector which largely relies on imports from Indonesia, Malaysia, and West Africa for refining and re-export compliance poses complex challenges in data collection, supplier coordination, and geolocation verification. The TraceX EUDR Compliance Platform offers an AI- and blockchain-powered digital solution that streamlines traceability, automates due diligence, and ensures seamless EU market compliance.

 TraceX connects plantations, mills, refineries, and exporters into one transparent digital network. Each batch of crude or refined palm oil is assigned a unique digital identity, linked with verified plantation geolocation, ownership data, legality certificates, and sustainability documentation. This unbroken chain of custody ensures every drop of palm oil exported from India meets EUDR’s deforestation-free and legal sourcing standards.

 Using mobile-enabled data capture tools, suppliers and processors can log GPS coordinates, land ownership proof, and RSPO/ISCC certifications directly from plantations and mills. TraceX automatically compiles and validates this data into EUDR-compliant Due Diligence Statements (DDS) for each shipment enabling quick digital submission to the EU’s reporting systems. This automation eliminates manual documentation errors, reduces compliance delays, and ensures audit-ready accuracy. 

Every sourcing and processing transaction from plantation harvest to refinery output and export is recorded on the TraceX blockchain ledger, creating an immutable, tamper-proof record of origin. This transparent digital ledger builds buyer trust and provides verifiable evidence of EUDR compliance, strengthening exporter credibility with EU regulators and sustainable trade partners.

TraceX’s platform enables Indian refiners and exporters to digitally onboard and geo-map upstream suppliers in sourcing regions like Indonesia and Malaysia. Using GPS mapping and legality documentation uploads, plantations are verified for compliance with EUDR’s geolocation and legality requirements, creating transparency across global supply chains.

Through AI and satellite imagery integration, TraceX continuously monitors plantation regions for signs of deforestation, land-use change, or encroachment. Real-time risk alerts empower exporters to take early corrective actions, ensuring proactive compliance and protecting their sustainability reputation. 

The platform functions as a secure data-sharing hub for refiners, traders, certifying bodies, and EU importers. It standardizes documentation workflows and simplifies audit collaboration, significantly reducing administrative complexity while improving regulatory readiness. By combining blockchain-based traceability, AI-driven risk analytics, and automated DDS generation, TraceX transforms EUDR compliance into a strategic sustainability and trade advantage. Indian palm oil exporters can now prove legal, deforestation-free sourcing, enhance transparency, and maintain unhindered access to high-value EU markets.