India: Government pushes for edible oil self-reliance under NMEO; oil palm coverage reaches 6.20 lakh hectares

seed, safflower, sesame and niger. However, domestic output continues to meet only 44% of the country’s edible oil requirement. The NMEO–Oil Palm (OP), launched in 2021, aims to bring 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm by 2025–26. By November 2025, 2.50 lakh hectares had been added, taking the total cultivated area to 6.20 lakh hectares nationwide. Crude Palm Oil (CPO) production has increased from 1.91 lakh tonnes in 2014–15 to 3.80 lakh tonnes in 2024–25. The scheme provides farmers with a Viability Price (VP) for Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs), insulating them from international CPO price fluctuations. A financial outlay of Rs 11,040 crore has been earmarked for the mission, with major focus on seed gardens, nurseries, high-yield planting material, drip irrigation and intercropping during the gestation period. The second component, NMEO–Oilseeds (OS), approved in 2024 for a seven-year period, targets raising primary oilseed output from 39 MT in 2022–23 to 69.7 MT by 2030–31. The ...