Emphasis on increasing the production of oilseeds to reduce the import of edible oils

22-Oct-2024 06:21 PM

New Delhi. To reduce dependence on the import of edible oils from abroad, the government is now emphasizing on increasing the production of oilseeds in the country.

It says that special focus will be given on increasing the production of oilseed crops and oil-bearing commodities through various measures.

Under an ambitious decision, the government has set a target to increase the domestic production of oilseeds from 390 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to a peak level of 697 lakh tonnes by 2030-31. For this, a target has been set to increase the sowing area of ​​oilseed crops from the current level of 290 lakh hectares to 330 lakh hectares and the average yield rate of crops from 1353 kg per hectare to 2112 kg per hectare.

It is worth noting that in India, oilseeds are cultivated in all three seasons - Kharif, Rabi and Zaid. Its area is quite large but due to the average yield rate being very low, the total production does not reach the expected level. In view of this, the government has made a plan to pay special attention to increasing the productivity of oilseed crops.

In India, the production of soybean, mustard and groundnut is more than 100 lakh tonnes each but the production of other oilseeds - sunflower, oil, linseed and niger seed etc. is very less. Similarly, there is a dire need to increase the production of oil palm, for which efforts have now been intensified.

India remains the largest importer of edible oils in the world, which can be considered a negative achievement. The government wants to move forward towards achieving self-sufficiency in the production of edible oil-oilseeds. Billions of rupees are being spent on the import of edible oils, whereas it can be saved by increasing domestic production.