నైరూప్య

Dynamics of oilseeds in India: An overview

Harpreet Singh, Amanpreet Singh

Oilseeds are the second most important determinant of the agricultural economy, after grains in the field crop segment. Total oilseed production in the country in 2018-2019 is estimated at 31.50 million tons, which is slightly higher than the production of 31.31 million tons in 2017-2018. During the last decade, the growth of edible oil imports has been around 174%. The per captia consumption of oilseeds is rising continuously 19.30 kg/year during 2017-18. Defective agronomic practices, a high incidence of abiotic and biotic stress are the reasons for the low overall productivity of oilseeds in the country. Genetic improvement, as well as the best packages and practices and their adoption in larger areas by farmers, will undoubtedly be a step forward to achieve self- sufficiency in oilseeds.