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New Delhi, August 10, 2026 – India continues its strategic push to enhance domestic edible oil production and reduce reliance on imports through its ambitious National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) and the recently launched National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-OS). The government has underscored its commitment by approving significant financial outlays and action plans for these initiatives.
The NMEO-OP, approved as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, aims to expand the area under oil palm cultivation and boost productivity across 15 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura. Launched in the 2021-22 fiscal year with an initial financial outlay of Rs. 11,040 crore, of which the Government of India's share was Rs. 8,844 crore, the mission initially targeted bringing 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm cultivation between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
Key interventions under the NMEO-OP encompass a wide range of support for farmers and infrastructure development. These include assistance for planting material, plantation maintenance, intercropping techniques, drip irrigation, farm machinery, and replanting efforts. Furthermore, the mission supports the establishment of seed gardens and nurseries, the development of oil palm processing infrastructure, and a crucial price assurance mechanism for farmers implemented through a Viability Gap Payment (VGP).
While the mission period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 saw Rs. 1,447.21 crore released by the Government of India to the implementing states, 2.73 lakh hectares were brought under oil palm cultivation during this timeframe. For the current fiscal year, Annual Action Plans (AAPs) for 2026-27 for the implementing states have already received approval for an outlay of Rs. 1143.9 crore.
Complementing the oil palm initiative, the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-OS) was launched on October 3, 2024. Spanning a seven-year period from 2024-25 to 2030-31, this mission is designed to further bolster domestic oilseed production and propel India towards self-sufficiency in edible oils. The NMEO-OS promotes the production of improved indigenous varieties and hybrids of oilseeds through 100% support for the purchase of breeder seeds and facilitates the distribution of certified seeds within Value Chain Clusters. To support these efforts, 60 Seed Hubs and 50 specialized seed storage units have been sanctioned for the production of breeder seeds from recently released varieties.
Source: Global Agriculture