Government Launches National Mission on Edible Oils to Boost Domestic Production

New Delhi, Oct 4 (KNN) In a strategic move to reduce India’s reliance on imported edible oils, the Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Edible Oils with a financial outlay of Rs 10,103 crore.

The mission aims to achieve self-sufficiency by increasing domestic oilseed production and improving oil extraction efficiency, marking a critical step toward food security and economic sustainability.

The scheme’s ambitious target is to boost the country’s oilseed production from the current 12.7 million tonnes (MT) to 20.2 MT by 2031, addressing the challenge of rising edible oil imports.

Currently, India imports about 57 per cent of its total edible oil consumption, which stands at around 24 MT annually.

By 2031, the mission aims to meet up to 72 per cent of the domestic edible oil requirement through local production.

Key oilseeds such as mustard, groundnut, soybean, sunflower, and sesame will be the focus of the mission. In addition, efforts will be made to enhance oil extraction from secondary sources like cottonseed, rice bran, and borne oils.

Mustard oil alone accounts for 40 per cent of domestic production, followed by soybean at 24 per cent and groundnut at 7 per cent.

The programme also seeks to expand the area under oilseed cultivation, increasing it from the current 29 million hectares (MH) to 33 MH by 2031. Production is expected to rise from 39 MT in 2022-23 to 69.7 MT by 2030-31.

Central to the mission's success is the adoption of high-yielding, high-oil-content seed varieties and the extension of cultivation into rice fallow areas. Additionally, cutting-edge technologies like genome editing will be harnessed to further boost yields.

The introduction of the ‘seed authentication, traceability, and holistic inventory (SATHI)’ Portal will enable efficient seed management through a five-year rolling plan.

To support seed production infrastructure, 65 new seed hubs and 50 seed storage units will be established in the public sector. Over 600 value chain clusters across 347 districts will cover more than 1 million hectares annually, offering farmers access to quality seeds, training, and advisory services on best practices.

In a related effort, the government has increased import duties on crude and refined palm, soybean, and sunflower oils to protect domestic farmers under schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), ensuring minimum support prices (MSP) for oilseeds.

This initiative builds on the 2021 launch of the Rs 11,040 crore National Mission on Edible Oil-Palm, further emphasizing the government’s commitment to securing India’s edible oil needs.

(KNN Bureau)