The “informal” request, the report said, was made during a meeting in New Delhi yesterday attended by industry officials.

“In Monday’s meeting we have been verbally told to avoid buying Malaysian palm oil,” Reuters quoted a senior industry official as saying.

It said the meeting was part of a series of discussions on how India could reduce its palm oil imports from Malaysia.

India has been Malaysia’s biggest palm oil buyer since 2014, importing RM6.9 billion worth of palm oil last year.

In October, it was reported that the Indian government might consider imposing trade curbs on Malaysia’s goods following Mahathir’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

On Dec 20, Mahathir again criticised the Indian government over the Citizenship Amendment Act, which offers amnesty to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from three neighbouring countries.

The Act fast-tracks applications for immigrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who arrived in India before 2015.

Critics say it is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to undermine Indian Muslims who make up 14% of the population, and to reshape India as a Hindu nation.