NMEO-Oilseeds approved to make India self-sufficient in Edible Oils

The Government of India has approved the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) to make India self-sufficient in edible oils. India is the world's largest importer of edible oils and meets around 60-65 per cent of its requirements through imports. India sources most of its palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, while Argentina, Brazil, Russia, and Ukraine are the major sources of soy oil and sunflower oil.

In 2022-23, 40 to 45 per cent of India’s edible needs were met through domestic production, while it imported 16.5 million tonnes of edible oils.

The government of India has imposed a 20% import duty on edible oils to increase the domestic production of edible oils and protect domestic oil producers.

Duration and Outlay of the NMEO-Oilseeds 

• The duration of the scheme is seven years, from 2024-25 to 2030-31. The total outlay for the scheme is Rs 10,103 crore.
• The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Family Welfare will implement the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds).

Aim of the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds)

The National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) will be operational, along with the National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). The government of India launched the NEMO-OP in August 2021 to expand oil palm cultivation and boost Crude Palm Oil (CPO) production.

The Aim of the NEMO-Oilseeds are as follows:

• Increase primary oilseed production from 39 million tonnes (2022-23) to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31.
• Increase domestic edible oil production to 25.45 million tonnes by 2030-31, meeting around 72% of domestic requirements (along with NMEO-OP).
• Focus on increasing the production of primary oilseed crops such as Rapeseed Mustard, Groundnut, Soybean, Sunflower, and Sesamum.
• Increasing the efficiency of oil collection and extraction from secondary sources like Cottonseed, Rice Bran, and tree-borne oils. 
• Ensure timely availability of quality seeds, and for this purpose, the Mission will introduce an Online 5-year rolling seed plan through the ‘Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI)’ Portal, 
• Government will set up 65 new seed hubs and 50 seed storage units to improve the seed production infrastructure.
• 600 Value Chain Clusters will be developed across 347 unique districts, covering more than 10 lakh hectares annually, where high-quality seeds will be made available to the farmers.
• Oilseed cultivation area to be expanded by bringing  four million hectares under cultivation  by targeting rice and potato fallow lands and promoting intercropping and crop diversification