National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) launched with the aim to augment the availability of edible oil in the country

New Delhi : During  the year 2020-21, India imported 133.5 lakh tonnes of edible oil, out of which the share of palm oil was around 56 %. The National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) has been launched with the aim to augment the availability of edible oil in the country by harnessing area expansion, increasing crude palm oil production with the aim to reduce the import burden. The salient features of NMEO-Oil palm include assistance for planting material, inputs for intercropping upto gestation period of 4 years and for maintenance, establishment of seed gardens, nurseries, micro irrigation, bore well/pumpset/water harvesting structure, vermi compost units, solar pumps, harvesting tools, custom hiring centre cum harvester Groups, farmers and officers training, and for replanting of old oil palm gardens etc.

The total approved cost of the NMEO (Oil Palm) Scheme is ₹ 11,040 crore, out of which ₹ 8844 crore is Central share and ₹ 2196 crore state share. For the year 2021-22, a total of Rs 10422.69 lakh has been approved for various state annual action plans.

The Reassessment Committee of ICAR- Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) 2020 has assessed around 28 lakh hectares potential for oil palm cultivation. While assessing the potential area, ICAR-IIOPR considered all the environmental and bio diversity parameters and recommended its cultivation in selected districts and states.

Annual edible oilseeds viz; soybean, rapeseed and mustard, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, safflower and niger are also grown in the country. Potential districts for these crops have been identified on the basis of land suitability and average yield.

As per ICAR-IIOPR, oil palm requires less water compared to crops like rice, banana and sugarcane for its optimum cultivation. Under the Mission emphasis has been given to promote micro irrigation and water conservation in oil palm for efficient water management and judicious use of water.

The state-wise potential area assessed by ICAR-IIOPR in 2020 in India

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare  Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.