On Sunday, the Centre and the states discussed what needs to be done to reduce the reliance on imported edible oil and to diversify the types of crops grown in the country, where there is serious water stress.
Ramesh Chand, a member of agriculture at NITI Aayog underlined the need for an effective minimum support price (MSP) for pulses and edible oil during the seventh meeting of the organization's governing council, which was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He continued by saying that the prime minister had discussed the need of diversifying agriculture and reaching self-sufficiency in edible oils during the meeting. According to the Prime Minister, India imports edible oil worth Rs 1 trillion, which accounts for over half of the nation's total need.
States, particularly those where there is a stress on natural resources and water, Chand added, shared their experiences regarding how they are diversifying crops. States also disclosed details about the incentives they offer farmers to change their crop patterns.
Sharing his thoughts on the subject, Ghanshyam Khandelwal, Chairman, BL Agro said, "The oil prices have gone down in the international market and thus there is an impact on the domestic market as well. The food ministry's announcement is definitely in the favour of our consumers. There will be a reduction of Rs 10 to 15 per litre on all edible oils. Currently, the market is volatile across nations and nothing can be said about future prices. We recently reduced the prices of our products by Rs. 10 per litre and there will be a further reduction after the announcement.”
States also brought up issues that concerned them. Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala, asked at the meeting that the Centre cease legislating on the items on the State List and that legislation on the topics on the Concurrent List of the Constitution only is started after proper consultation with the states.
According to the statement, the chief minister of Kerala also asked for a review of the GST levied on necessities and a request to extend the GST reimbursement to states for an additional five years.
Crop diversification and reaching self-sufficiency in pulses, oilseeds, and other agri-commodities, National Education Policy (NEP) implementation in school and higher education, and urban governance were the subjects covered during the meeting of the governing council.
