Oilseeds, grown for their high oil content, provide edible oils essential for cooking and non-edible oils used in industrial applications.
About Oilseeds
- Significance:
- Economic Backbone: Second-largest agricultural segment after food grains and occupies 14.3% of gross cropped area.
- Nutritional Security: Provides 12–13% of dietary energy and essential fats, contributing significantly to balanced diets.
- India’s per capita consumption of edible oils has risen sharply from 9.85 kg during 1996-2006 to 20.3 kg in 2022-23
- Hidden Hunger: Rich in fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), oilseeds help address micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition.
- Farmers’ Livelihoods: Important cash crops grown largely in rainfed areas, supporting income diversification and sustaining millions of small & marginal farmers.
- Production: India is fourth largest producer of oilseeds and ranks first in castor, sesame, safflower, niger; second in groundnut; third in rapeseed-mustard.
- Issues:
- India contributes only 6–7% of global vegetable oil production due to low productivity.
- There are Yield Gaps in Oilseeds primarily due to low adoption of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and inadequate seed replacement rates (SRR).
- India imports 56% of its edible oil needs (15.66 MMT in 2023-24), exposing India to global price volatility and supply disruptions.
Recommendations by Committee to Increase Oilseeds Production
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