Agriculture Minister Urges States to Adopt Self-Sufficiency in Edible Oil Production
The National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) aims to reduce India’s edible oil imports by expanding oil palm plantations to 6.5 lakh hectares by 2025-26. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged states to expedite plantation targets, utilise funds, address bottlenecks, and adopt digital monitoring tools. He emphasized strengthening farmer engagement and implementing the Viability Price mechanism to shield farmers from market risks.
New Delhi, Jan 7 (KNN) Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, has called on all states to ramp up efforts under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), a key initiative in India’s pursuit of self-sufficiency in edible oil production.
This mission aims to reduce the country’s dependence on imports while simultaneously enhancing farmer incomes.
Launched with a focus on promoting domestic oil palm cultivation, the NMEO-OP seeks to bring 6.5 lakh hectares of land under oil palm plantations by 2025-26.
The mission places special emphasis on leveraging the agro-climatic potential of the North-eastern region, along with other states where oil palm cultivation has a strong foothold.
While some regions have shown considerable progress, others have lagged in meeting their plantation targets, highlighting the need for more urgent action.
Chouhan noted the underutilisation of allocated funds and delays in plantation progress, stressing the necessity for a more focused and coordinated approach.
He urged states to prioritise their targets and address bottlenecks, including mobilising unspent funds for essential infrastructure development, farmer support, and expansion of plantations.
Strengthening farmer engagement is also critical, particularly in overcoming challenges like misinformation and ensuring timely assistance for sustained participation.
To enhance transparency and efficiency, the government has introduced digital monitoring tools, including geo-mapping and drone surveillance. The Minister emphasised that states must fully embrace these technologies.
Moreover, the introduction of the Viability Price (VP) mechanism aims to shield farmers from market volatility, and Chouhan urged states to expedite the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enable farmers to benefit from this safeguard.
In conclusion, the Union Minister reiterated the importance of a collaborative approach to achieving self-reliance in edible oil production.
A unified effort from the central and state governments, implementing agencies, and farmers is essential to realising the mission’s ambitious goals.
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Source : KNN
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