Towards oilseeds sufficiency in India: Present status and way forward

India is a global player in edible oil arena, being the 2nd largest importer, and 3rd largest consumer of edible oil as well as 4th largest oilseed producer. Soybean, groundnut and rapeseed and mustard contribute 82% of total inland oilseed production. Per capita consumption has been increasing and is projected to be around 24 kg by 2025. There is a large gap in production and demand of edible oilseeds, leading to growing dependency on import day by day. Productivity of Indian oil seed sector per se is very low that needs to be augmented to save the hard earned foreign exchange. This call for revisiting researchable and policy issues adopted so far. This article discusses the current scenario and future strategies to achieve self-sufficiency in Indian oilseed sector.