India's plan to reduce dependence on palm oil imports

Balram Singh Yadav, The author is Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet Ltd. While palm oil production in other parts of the world is carried out in large plantations, it is smallholder farmers in India who are playing a key role in increasing production. In July this year, the Indian government launched a drive to set up mega oilseed plantations. The second drive, which follows last year’s, is in sync with the National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) that aims to reduce the country’s dependence on imports and achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils, thereby increasing farmers’ incomes. However, for a country that recorded a seasonal record of 1.081 million tonnes of palm oil imports in the same month, urgent steps are needed to streamline policies and coordinate efforts to address persistent challenges on the ground to achieve its ‘Plan 2030’ target of increasing domestic palm oil production to 3 million tonnes. Overcoming Growing Pains For a crop with a four-year ...