1.7k acres of agri land to be brought under oilseed cultivation in Gurgaon
Gurgaon will cultivate 1,700 acres under oilseeds to reduce edible oil imports. Major crops include soybean, groundnut, and mustard, with additional acreage for sesame and sunflower. Two farmer clusters will be formed and supported by FPOs for seeds, training, and marketing. Financial assistance will support post-harvest value addition and improved income.
Gurgaon: Nearly 1,700 acres of agricultural land in the district will be brought under oilseed cultivation as part of the national programme to increase oilseed cultivation in the country to reduce dependence on import of edible oil.Around 1200 acres will be under major oilseed crops – soybean, groundnuts, and mustard — and another 500 acres will be under sesame, sunflower, niger, and safflower.
The per capita consumption of edible oil in the country has risen to over 20 kg per year. This spike in demand has significantly outpaced domestic production, leading to a heavy reliance on imports to meet both domestic and industrial needs. In 2022-23, India imported 16.5 million tonnes (MT) of edible oils, with domestic production fulfilling only 40-45% of the country’s requirements.The central govt launched the National Mission on Edible Oils -Oilseeds in Oct 2024 to make the country self-reliant in edible oil production. This mission will continue for 7 years from 2024-25 to 2030-31, with a total cost of Rs 10,103.38 crore.As per the guidelines, the state govt has constituted a district oilseed mission and an executive committee. The commission will be responsible for the operation and supervision of the mission under the leadership of the deputy commissioner.
Presiding over a district-level review meeting held at the mini secretariat, deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar said that two oilseed clusters will be formed in the district and at least 200 farmers will be included in each cluster. They will be managed by farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and cooperative societies.Kumar added that the executive committee will select eligible organisations as per the mission guidelines. Once selected, these organisations will provide seeds and other agricultural inputs to farmers, field demonstrations, extension support, marketing assistance, training, report preparation, and progress monitoring. This will help achieve the objectives of increasing oilseed production, improving farmers’ income, and reducing the country’s import dependence on edible oils.Institutions like Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), State Agricultural University, Agricultural Extension Training Institute, and State Agricultural Management Institute will be linked to provide technical support to each oilseed cluster. Along with this, assistance up to 33 percent of the total project cost, or a maximum of Rs 9.90 lakh, will be provided to each cluster for post-harvest value addition.
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Source : The Times Of India
