Oilseeds

The contamination of more than 2.6 million hectares of Ukraine's agricultural lands with landmines is one of the main causes for the projected harvest decline, she said

Wheat acreage has increased 3 per cent so far in the ongoing rabi season at 286.5 lakh hectare mainly on higher sowing area in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the government data showed. The area under coverage for wheat, which is the major crop in rabi (winter-sown) season, stood at 278.25 lakh hectare in the same period last year. Sowing of rabi crops starts from October. Higher area under wheat has been reported mainly from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Karnataka. Acreage is down so far in Maharashtra and Haryana. Increase in wheat sowing area may lead to higher production provided the weather remains conducive for growth of this crop. The domestic production of wheat fell to 106.84 million tonne in 2021-22 crop year (July-June) from 109.59 million tonne in the previous year due to heat wave in some of the producing states. In May this year, the government banned exports of wheat to boost domestic supplies and cont

Farmers have also increased acreage under rapeseed, the key winter-sown oilseed, to 7.1 million hectares as of Nov. 25

The idea in itself is not new and previously several attempts have been made to involve private players in official procurement, most recently in oilseeds

Government encourages farmers to diversify crops, but doing away with imported oilseeds and pulses challenging

Though there has been an increase in acreage and production of these items, there hasn't been a big reduction in paddy and wheat acreage

IMD's latest update says active monsoon conditions over central India and along the west coast could continue for five days starting. It sees a rise in rainfall over Northwest India on July 9-10

Market participants anticipate a shift from pulses to oilseeds and cotton in several areas

However, achieving self-sufficiency in edible oil will remain a distant dream unless drastic policy measures are taken

Experts feel this could keep prices of major farm commodities and products dependent on them, such as poultry and meat, at an elevated level for quite some time

In view of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war resulting in supply restrictions, the Centre has extended the stock limits imposed on edible oils and oilseeds until December 31

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said nearly 4 lakh hectare area of rice fallow will be used for oilseeds cultivation in 100 districts of 10 states as part of the government's efforts to boost domestic output and reduce imports of edible oils. The minister was addressing a webinar on 'Smart Agriculture: Bringing Back Glory of Millets; Moving Towards Aatmanirbharta in Edible Oil'. Moreover, he said 230 high-yielding districts of oilseeds have been identified. Nearly 20 lakh hectare area will also be brought under intercropping of oilseeds in next 5 years, an official statement quoted Goyal as saying. India imported edible oils worth Rs 1.17 lakh crore during 2020-21 marketing year ended October 2021, according to trade data. With emphasis on millets, India is going back to its roots like Yoga, the minister said. Bringing back the glory of millets will make the country Aatmanirbhar in 3 areas-- Food, Nutrition & Economy, Goyal said. Suggesting four ...

Exporters and importers have been kept outside the purview of this order with some caveats

India needs a stable policy framework

Extends curbs till June 30, specifies quantity each trader can hold in states where the quantum hasn't been laid out

Despite MSP spike and higher acreage and yields, India's dependence on imported cooking media has only grown

While the steps have had the desired impact to some extent, experts have criticised them for burdening farmers and going against the concepts of open markets and 'atmanirbharta'

In 2020-21, pulses production went down by 6.65 per cent between the first and fourth advanced estimates

Among kharif oilseeds, soybean and groundnut are the biggest in terms of both production and area under cultivation

Oilseed and cotton will see a drop in production as weaker rains have reduced their sowing areas