The fourth Cottonseed, Oil and Meal Conclave, was recently held in Aurangabad and jointly organized by the Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) of India and the All India Cottonseed Crushers' Association (AICOSCA). Production of cottonseed oil would increase from the current 13–14 lakh tonnes (lt) to 15–16 lakh tonnes (lt) by 2025.
At the conclave, Sandeep Bajoria, the chairman of AICOSCA, spoke on the topic "Prospects and issues of cottonseed oil in the country-Roadmap by 2030." He said that AICOSCA promotes the scientific processing of cottonseed as opposed to traditional processing, producing a tremendous national advantage.
According to a report by M. Sabesh, a Senior Scientist at the Central Institute for Cotton Research in Nagpur, 402.70 lakh bales (each weighing 170 kg) of cotton are expected to be produced by 2025.
He said that by 2025, with a significant rise in cotton output, cottonseed oil production might reach 15–16 lt, up from the current availability of washed cottonseed oil of roughly 13–14 lt.
The availability of washed cottonseed oil can be significantly increased, say up to 19-20 lt, with scientific processing of cottonseed, which AICOSCA has been promoting for many years, he continued, adding that cottonseed oil can undoubtedly become one of the main sources of edible oil in the near future, assisting a further boost in its production.
According to Bajoria, who cited SEA figures, domestic consumption of edible oil is anticipated to reach 240 lt in 2022–2023. With rising per capita wealth and population, this is probably going to rise even more.
India now produces roughly 100 lt of edible oil, however, there is currently a 140 lt shortage of edible oil that must be filled by imports.
He emphasized the urgent need for attention to the scientific processing of cottonseed oil, saying that conventional processing causes a significant loss of precious cottonseed oil and other significant byproducts like linters, hulls, etc., valued at crores of rupees.
