Lok Sabha Question No. 2505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-02
Subject: Oilseeds Production
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: SRIRAM MALYADRI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2505

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  2 ND  JANUARY, 2018

## OILSEEDS PRODUCTION

2505.  SHRI MALYADRI SRIRAM:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE      ‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the production and acreage of major oilseeds in the country during the last year and the current year;
- (b) whether the country produced only 30% of its requirement of edible oils in 2016-17 and  if  so,  the  reasons  for  farmers  not  being  able  to  grow  more  edible  oilseeds  in  a mission mode by offering higher prices and other incentives;
- (c) whether it is a fact that presently farmers get 20% less than the Minimum Support Price  in  the  open  market  and  if  so,  the  reasons  for  this  wide  difference  between  the Minimum Support Price for oilseeds and the market price;
- (d) whether  the  Government  is  considering  an  alternate  incentive  scheme  to  help farmers grow more oilseeds in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  any  specific  scheme  has  been  taken  up  to  encourage  farmers  to  grow more oilseeds in rainfed and upland areas of the country including agri-climate zones like Prakasham and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF  STATE IN THE  MINISTRY OF  AGRICULTURE AND  FARMERS  WELFARE

‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान  कयाण ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã  ½ãñâ  Àã·¾ã  ½ãâ¨ããè (  SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a): The details of production and acreage of oilseeds in the country  during last and current years are given below:

Area: Lakh hectare Production: Lakh tonnes

|                  | 2016-17*   | 2016-17*   | 2017-18**   | 2017-18**   |
|------------------|------------|------------|-------------|-------------|
| Crops            | Acreage    | Production | Acreage     | Production  |
| Soybean          | 113.16     | 137.94     | 105.59      | 122.16      |
| Rapeseed-Mustard | 60.24      | 79.77      | -           | -           |
| Groundnut        | 53.11      | 75.65      | 41.91       | 62.13       |
| Sesame           | 17.14      | 7.84       | 14.88       | 6.64        |
| Castorseed       | 8.30       | 14.21      | 7.59        | 13.96       |
| Sunflower        | 3.44       | 2.41       | 1.59        | 0.88        |
| Linseed          | 2.94       | 1.54       | -           | -           |
| Nigerseed        | 2.53       | 0.83       | 2.67        | 1.02        |
| Safflower        | 1.20       | 0.78       | -           | -           |
| Total            | 262.06     | 320.97     | 174.24      | 206.79      |

* 4 th Advance Estimates of DES

** 1 st Advance Estimates of DES

(b): India  produced  10.1  million  tonnes  of  edible  oils  including  7.31  million  tonnes from primary sources and 3.44 million tonnes from secondary sources, which comes to about  40%  of  the  total  requirement  of  edible  oils  during  2016-17.  Oilseed  crops  are largely grown under rainfed conditions (more than 70%) and are more prone to pests & diseases and climatic changes. These crops are grown with minimum inputs due to high risk and poor resource base of small and marginal farmers in rainfed areas. In order to increase  production  and  yield  of  oilseeds  and  area  expansion  of  oil  palm,  National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) is under implementation since 2014-15.

(c) & (d): Government  of  India  is  implementing  Price  Support  Scheme  (PSS)  for procurement  of  oilseeds,  pulses  and  cotton  through  Central  Nodal  Agencies  at  the Minimum  Support  Price  (MSP).  This  scheme  is  implemented  at  the  request  of  the concerned State Government.

Under the PSS, procurement limit has been enhanced from existing 25% to 40% of estimated production.  The objectives of PSS are to provide remunerative prices to the  growers  for  their  produce  with  a  view  to  encourage  higher  investment  and production and to safeguard the interest of consumers by making available supplies at reasonable  prices  with  low  cost  of  inmediation.  During  2017-18,  National  Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) procured 744180.09 metric tonnes of oilseeds at MSP under PSS as on 20.12.2017.

(e): Government  is  implementing  a  special  programme  on  Targeting  Rice  Fallow Area (TRFA) in the six eastern states namely Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal to bring additional area of 1.5 million hectares under oilseeds and  pulses  during  2017-18.  Another  initiative  has  been  taken  to  replace  1.92  lakh hectares by oilseeds and pulses in wheat blast affected area of West during 2017-18.

In  Prakasam  and  Guntur  districts  of  Andhra  Pradesh,  oilseed  crops  are  being promoted mainly  under  rainfed  and  upland  areas.  The farmers  are  benefited  through cluster  demonstrations  of  oilseeds,  adopting  water  conservation  furrows  and  inter cropping with red gram. Distribution of oilseed minikits of new varieties for increasing production are being taken up.

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