Ministry of Agriculture (Government of India) implements National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to reduce import dependence

Key facts

• The Government of India (GoI) is implementing the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to enhance domestic production and reduce reliance on imported edible oils.
• Oil palm cultivation is currently being pursued across more than 14 states, including the North-Eastern region.
• Mature oil palm plantations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have demonstrated productivity levels of approximately 19 tonnes of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) per hectare annually.
• In many other rainfed or partially irrigated regions of India, the average FFB yield in mature plantations is estimated to be below 8 tonnes per hectare annually.
• Oil palm has the highest oil productivity per hectare annually compared to other major Indian oilseed crops, including soybean, mustard, groundnut, sunflower, and coconut.
• Implementing companies in the oil palm sector typically become EBITDA positive after a period of eight to ten years.
• Low capacity utilisation of oil palm mills has been observed in states including Goa, Odisha, and Mizoram.