In a significant move, the Union Cabinet today rationalised 18 centrally sponsored schemes of the Central government, with a total allocation of Rs 101,321 crore, into two and launched a National Mission on Oilseeds with an outlay of Rs 10,103 crore.
The two mother schemes formed after the convergence, called the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) and Krishonnati Yojana (KY), will give more funding flexibility to the states, allowing them to reallocate funds from one component to another based on their needs and avoid duplication.
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The Central share in the Rs 101,321 crore allocation is Rs 69,088.98 crore, and the state share is Rs 32,232.63 crore.
The Oilseeds Mission, to be implemented over seven years from 2024-25 to 2030-31, aims to increase India’s primary oilseed production from 39 million tonnes (2022-23) to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31, improve per hectare yields from 1,353 kg to 2,112 kg, and boost domestic edible oils production from 12.7 million tonnes to 20.2 million tonnes by 2030-31.
An additional four million hectares of land is targeted to be brought under oilseeds through the Mission, by targeting rice and potato fallow lands, promoting intercropping, and encouraging crop diversification.
At present, oilseeds are grown on around 29 million hectares of land annually.
The Oilseeds Mission, together with the Mission on Oil Palm, also aims to reduce India’s dependency on imported edible oil from the current 57 per cent to around 28 per cent over the next seven years.
The Oilseeds Mission will primarily focus on enhancing the production of key crops such as mustard, groundnut, soybean, sunflower, and sesame, as well as increasing collection and extraction from secondary sources like cottonseed, rice bran, and tree-borne oils.
As per the Cabinet decision, the Mission aims to achieve these targets through a combination of strategies, including promoting the adoption of high-yielding, high oil content seed varieties, extending cultivation into rice fallow areas, and promoting intercropping.
It will also nurture the ongoing development of high-quality seeds by using cutting-edge global technologies such as genome editing.
The Mission will soon launch a portal called the ‘Seed Authentication, Traceability and Holistic Inventory (SATHI)’ to enable states to establish advance tie-ups with seed-producing agencies, including private seed companies, for a steady supply of high-yielding oilseeds.
Sixty-five new seed hubs and 50 seed storage units will be set up in the public sector as part of the Mission.
India first started importing edible oils on a large scale in the 1990s.
Since then, according to trade sources, in the last 20 years (1990-91 to 2020-21), imports have risen by over 160 per cent in volume terms, while in value terms they have increased from Rs 7,000 crore to almost Rs 117,000 crore in 2020-21.
In 2022-23 (November to October), India imported its highest-ever volume of edible oils at almost 16.46 million tonnes, valued at nearly Rs 140,000 crore.
In the 2023-24 Oil Year, which ends this month, trade sources expect vegetable oil imports to be around 16-16.5 million tonnes, similar to the previous marketing season.
First Published: Oct 03 2024 | 9:57 PM IST
