CONTENTS
- NATIONAL MISSION ON EDIBLE OIL-OIL PALM (NMEO-OP)
- PROJECT BOLD
NATIONAL MISSION ON EDIBLE OIL-OIL PALM (NMEO-OP)
Focus: GS III- Agriculture
Why in News?
Cabinet approved implementation of National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm.
About India’s Oilseeds Production and Imports
- India’s vegetable oil economy is world’s fourth largest after USA, China & Brazil.
- India is also third largest cultivator of oilseeds in the world and paradoxically meets into more than 50% requirement through imports.
- Major Oilseeds Producing Areas in India are: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.
- Due to diverse agro-climatic conditions and geographical locations, farmers are able to grow all the nine annual oilseeds viz. groundnut, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, sesame, safflower, niger, castor and linseed.
- In India, oilseeds are second most important crop after cereals sharing 14% of the country’s gross cropped area and accounting for nearly 3% of GDP.
- Oilseed accounts for 13% of the Gross Cropped Area, 3% of the Gross National Product and 10% value of all agricultural commodities.
- India needs a threefold increase in the oilseeds production in the next 35 years as – like pulses, oilseeds face severe challenges in terms of climatic stresses and unfavourable farming conditions.
- Oilseed cultivation is mainly undertaken on marginal land by resource poor farmers who are generally reluctant to provide necessary inputs for increasing the productivity.
- Nearly 82% of the oilseeds area fall under rainfed farming where climatic vagaries cause severe damage to crops.
- Out of the total requirement, 10.50 million tonnes are produced domestically from primary (Soybean, Rapeseed & Mustard, Groundnut, Sunflower, Safflower & Niger) and secondary sources (Oil palm, Coconut, Rice Bran, Cotton seeds & Tree Borne Oilseeds) and remaining 60%, is met through import.
- Despite the oilseed production of the country growing impressively, there exists a gap between the demand and supply of oilseeds, which has necessitated sizeable quantities of imports.
About National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)
- National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) was implemented during the 12th Five Year Plan, to expand the oil palm areas and increase the production of edible oils.
- It was later merged with the National Food Security Mission.
- NMEO-OP aims resolve to allow India to be independent or self-reliant in edible oil production.
- Through this mission, more than ₹11,000 crore will be invested in the edible oil ecosystem.
- The government will ensure that farmers get all needed facilities, from quality seeds to technology.
- Along with promoting the cultivation of oil palm, this mission will also expand the cultivation of our other traditional oilseed crops.
Need for NMEO-OP
- During the last few years, the domestic consumption of edible oils has increased substantially and has touched the level of 18.90 million tonnes in 2011-12 and is likely to increase further.
- A substantial portion of our requirement of edible oil is met through import of palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.
- It is, therefore, necessary to exploit domestic resources to maximize production to ensure edible oil security for the country.
PROJECT BOLD
Focus: GS III- Agriculture
Why in News?
KVIC’s Project BOLD Reached Leh-Ladakh to Protect Land Degradation & Support Local Economy.
- Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched the first ever initiative to develop green cover over barren lands in the Himalayan terrains of Leh-Ladakh by planting bamboo saplings.
About Project BOLD :
- BOLD stands for Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought.
- Launched by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
- Under the project 5000 saplings of special bamboo species – BambusaTulda and BambusaPolymorpha from Assam – have been planted over 16 acres of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land.
- KVIC has thus created a world record of planting the highest number of bamboo saplings on a single day at one location.
- It has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
Reason for Selecting Bamboo:
- It grows very fast and in about three years’ time, they could be harvested.
- It is also known for conserving water and reducing evaporation of water from the land surface, which is an important feature in arid and drought-prone regions.
Objectives:
- To create bamboo-based green patches in arid and semi-arid land zones,
- To reduce desertification
- To provide livelihood and multi-disciplinary rural industry support.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
- It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.
- It is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programmes for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
- It functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
