Center will distribute free seed packets to the people amid increasing oil prices in the country

New Delhi: The prices of oil are increasing rapidly in the country. The price of mustard oil is also increasing continuously. Meanwhile, the central government has taken steps to distribute free seed packets to the people. Officials familiar with the move say that India's policy makers, concerned over rising prices of edible oils due to the high import cost of oilseeds, have decided to distribute free seed packets. For this, the Green Revolution-era strategy will be used. He expects that this will increase domestic production of oilseeds and reduce dependence on imports. However, experts say that the idea of ​​1960s vintage may not yield the desired results today.

Under the leadership of Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Ministry of Agriculture is giving thousands of free packets of high quality oilseeds to farmers for the Kharif (summer crops) season starting next month in about one third of the districts of the country. The plan was discussed with the state governments in April. "The government is giving about 8 lakh soybean seed mini-kits and 74 thousand peanut mini-kits to the farmers to increase production," an official said. Like pulses, India is dependent on imports to meet its edible oil demand. The average annual demand for edible oils is around 24 million tonnes, while domestic production is between 8 and 11 million tonnes. Up to 60 percent of the demand is met through imports. In the last two months, the demand for edible oils has increased a lot.

Oil prices rise up to 60 percent

A year ago data from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs shows that oil prices have risen by up to 60 percent. The average price of one liter of mustard oil increased to Rs 170 in May from Rs 120 in the same period last year. Similarly, prices of groundnut oil, soya oil, palm oil and sunflower oil are at a decade high. The government plans to bring 6.37 lakh hectares under oilseed cultivation. This will produce 12 million quintals of oilseeds, which will result in the production of 2.43 million quintals of edible oil.