Kharif Strategy for Oilseeds

• 24 May 2021

Why in News

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has formulated Kharif Strategy 2021 to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils.

Kharif Season

• Crops are sown from June to July and Harvesting is done in between September-October.
• Crops are: Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soyabean etc.
• States are: Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.

Key Points

• About the Kharif Strategy 2021:
  
  • An ambitious plan for the free distribution of high yielding varieties of seeds to the farmers for the Kharif season 2021 in the form of mini-kits.
  • Strategy for both area and productivity enhancement has been formulated for soybean and groundnut under the National Food Security Mission (Oil Seeds and Oil Palm).
  • It will bring an additional 6.37 lakh hectare area under oilseeds and is likely to produce 120.26 lakh quintals of oilseeds and edible oil amounting to 24.36 lakh quintals.
• Basic Information Related to Oilseeds:
  
  • Oilseed crops are the second most important determinant of the agricultural economy, next only to cereals within the segment of field crops.
    
    • The self-sufficiency in oilseeds attained through the “Yellow Revolution” during early 1990’s, could not be sustained beyond a short period.
  • Oilseed crops are primarily grown for the purpose of obtaining vegetable oils from them. Oil content in them varies from 20% in soybeans to 40% in sunflowers and canola (rapeseed).
  • India is able to produce a huge amount of oilseeds because of the favourable environmental conditions.
    
    • Castor seed, sesamum, rapeseed, groundnut, mustard, soyabean, linseed, niger seed, sunflower and safflower are some of the important oilseeds India is known to produce.
  • Despite being the fifth largest oilseed crop producing country in the world, India is also one of the largest importers of vegetable oils today.
    
    • India buys more than two-thirds of its total edible oil imports as palm oil.
  • India has a marked position in the world in the production of a large amount of oilseeds.
    
    • After China, India is the second largest producer of groundnut and is third in position in the production of Rapeseed after China and Canada.
  • Major Oilseeds Producing Areas in India are: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.
• National Food Security Mission (Oil Seeds and Oil Palm):
  
  • Objective:
    
    • To augment the availability of edible oils and reduce the import of edible oils by increasing the production and productivity of oilseeds and oil palm.
  • Merger of NMOOP under NFSM:
    
    • National Mission on Oilseeds & Oil Palm (NMOOP) was launched in 2014-15 and continued upto 2017-18.
    • From 2018-19 onwards, the NMOOP is being implemented under NFSM as NFSM-Oilseeds & Oil palm comprising the sub components NFSM- Oilseeds, NFSM-Oil Palm and NFSM-Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs).
  • Multi-Pronged Strategy:
    
    • Increasing Seed Replacement Ratio (SRR) with focus on varietal replacement.
      
      • SRR is the percentage of area sown out of total area of crop planted in the season by using certified/quality seeds other than the farm saved seed.
    • Productivity improvement by adoption of proven and climatic resilient technologies like water saving devices (sprinklers/rain gun), zero tillage, inter-cropping, relay cropping, strategic application of micronutrient and soil ameliorants.
    • Area expansion through diversification of low yielding food grains.
    • Capacity building.
    • Supporting cluster demonstrations for the adoption of good agricultural practices.
    • Creation of 36 oilseed hubs with a focus on regional approach for larger availability of quality seeds.
    • Post-harvest management at farm and village level.
    • Formation of Farmer Producer Organisations.
  • Funding Pattern:
    
    • The cost sharing pattern between Central and State Governments, is in the ratio of 60:40 for general category of States and 90:10 for North Eastern and Himalayan States.
    • For few interventions, like purchase of breeder seeds by both State and Central seed producing agencies, supply of seed mini-kits to the farmers, 100% funding is provided by Government of India.

Source: PIB