Indian oilseed sector : Need for self-sufficiency in oilseed production

Oil crops are an ideal component in the sustainable production system in Indian agriculture. But, the area under oilseeds has experienced a deceleration in general, due to their relative lower profitability against competing crops like maize, cotton, chickpea, etc. under the prevailing crop growing and marketing situations. Despite being the fifth largest oilseed crop producing country in the world, India is also one of the largest importers of vegetable oils today. The country now imports nearly 60 per cent of the annual consumption of 259.22 million tonnes. However, increasing demand for edible oils necessitated the imports in large quantities leading to a substantial drain on foreign exchange. Edible oil consumption in the country has been consistently rising faster than production due to growth in population, increasing income levels and the emerging dietary changes are driving increasing use of edible oils. An immediate action towards this sector is utmost required or the dependency on import will certainly increase in the days to come due to mushrooming population and increased per capita consumption. It is, therefore, necessary to exploit domestic resources to maximize production to ensure edible oil security for the country.