Oilseeds Sector In India
Statistics from PIB
π Around 56-60% of the edible oils consumed in the India, worth Rs 1,17,000 crore, is met through imports
Reasons for less production of Oilseeds in India
π Ύ️ Low crop yield due to poor quality seeds and usage of outdated technology
π Ύ️ Land fragmentation limits the potential for increased production
π Ύ️ Price fluctuations in markets
π Ύ️ Inadequate storage and distribution facilities
π Ύ️ Lack of value addition infrastructure
π Ύ️ Heavy competition from other crops like wheat, paddy, cotton, sugarcane, etc
π Ύ️ Long gestation period for crops like oil palm and it means low income in this period
π Ύ️ Lack of govt incentives for the cultivation of oilseeds
Govt initiatives to boost domestic production
✅ Oil Palm Area Expansion under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana : increase MSP of oilseed crops, cluster development and create a buffer stock for oilseeds
✅ National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) aimed to have an additional 6.5 lakh hectares for palm oil by 2025-26.
✅ PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) for improving water use efficiency
✅ PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to protect farmers against crop losses
✅ Kisan Credit Cards to ensure timely credit support to farmers for agriculture inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc.
Way Forward
π± Promote oilseeds cultivation in areas where there is assured irrigation.
π±Invest in development of High Yielding Oilseeds
π± Provide incentives to private sector participation in processing and value addition infrastructure
π± Raise MSP for various oilseeds to encourage farmers
π± Promote cooperative farming to resolve issue of land fragmentation