Centre targets major jump in oilseed, pulse production; Kashmir’s mustard economy likely to benefit

Ziraat Times Team Report

New Delhi, August 7: The Centre has set ambitious targets to boost domestic production of oilseeds and pulses and reduce India’s dependence on imports, a push that could also create new opportunities for Jammu & Kashmir’s traditional brown sarson crop and its largely underdeveloped local oil-processing sector.

The National Mission on Edible Oils-Oilseeds (NMEO-OS), approved in October 2024, aims to raise primary oilseed production from 39 million tonnes in 2022–23 to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030–31.

Similarly, the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, launched in October 2025, seeks to increase pulse production from 242 lakh tonnes to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030–31.

The details were provided by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Over 600 oilseed clusters operationalised

Under NMEO-OS, the government has adopted a cluster-based approach with market linkages, with more than 600 Value Chain Clusters operationalised across the country.

These clusters are managed by Value Chain Partners, including Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperatives and other agencies. Farmers are being provided free high-quality seeds of newly released high-yielding varieties along with training in improved agricultural practices.

The mission also supports the establishment and upgradation of post-harvest infrastructure, including oil mills, to improve oil recovery from primary and secondary sources.

Productivity enhancement is being pursued through Frontline Demonstrations, Cluster Frontline Demonstrations and Block-Level Demonstrations to encourage farmers to adopt improved varieties and production practices.

The government is also strengthening the seed supply chain through full support for the purchase of breeder seeds, new seed hubs and specialised seed storage facilities.

Oilseeds produced by farmers are also supported through procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA).

Kashmir’s traditional brown sarson offers local opportunity

The oilseed mission could have particular relevance for Kashmir, where brown sarson is an important rabi crop and fits naturally into the Valley’s traditional rice–oilseed cropping system.

The latest J&K Economic Survey reports that 1.80 lakh hectares of net agricultural land in Jammu & Kashmir were brought under mustard during the winter season under the Yellow Revolution initiative.

An ICAR-linked analysis based on government data puts average rapeseed-mustard production in J&K at about 38,000 tonnes annually during 2022–23 to 2024–25, with an average yield of around 977 kg per hectare.

Research from the northwestern hills of J&K has also identified a significant productivity gap in brown sarson, with average production of around 7.9 quintals per hectare, while pointing to constraints including quality seed availability, delayed sowing, mechanisation, processing and marketing.

The actual quantity of sarson oil produced specifically in Kashmir is not separately reported in the latest official statistics. However, the scale of mustard cultivation and the productivity gap suggest considerable scope to develop a stronger local seed-to-oil value chain.

The Centre’s new mission could help Kashmir move beyond the production of raw mustard seed by facilitating modern oil extraction and cold-pressing units, farmer-producer organisations, improved storage, quality certification, branding and direct market linkages.

Such interventions could allow growers to capture a greater share of the value generated from the crop rather than selling mustard seed to intermediaries.

The opportunity is particularly relevant because NMEO-OS explicitly provides support for establishing and upgrading oil mills and improving oil recovery.

13.52 lakh hectares covered with free seeds

At the national level, 13.52 lakh hectares were covered under free seed distribution through Value Chain Clusters during 2025–26, while another 4.44 lakh hectares have been covered so far during the 2026 kharif season.

The government has sanctioned 60 Seed Hubs and 50 specialised seed storage units for production and storage of breeder seeds of recently released varieties.

According to the third advance estimates of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, oilseed production increased from 413.55 lakh tonnes in 2022–23 to 430.59 lakh tonnes in 2025–26.

Edible oil imports remain substantial

Domestic availability of edible oils increased from 124.23 lakh tonnes in 2022–23 to 126.30 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, according to data reported by the Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils under the Department of Food and Public Distribution.

At the same time, edible oil imports declined from 165 lakh tonnes to 160.72 lakh tonnes during the same period.

While the decline in imports and increase in domestic availability point towards some improvement, imported edible oils continue to account for a substantial share of India’s consumption, making expansion of domestic oilseed production a major policy priority.

Pulses production rises to 274 lakh tonnes

Under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, assistance is being provided through state governments and UT administrations for seed production, distribution of certified seeds of high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties, technology demonstrations, farmer capacity building, seed-kit distribution and post-harvest infrastructure.

To ensure remunerative prices, the mission supports assured procurement of Tur, Urad and Masoor from registered and willing farmers by NAFED and NCCF under PM-AASHA, based on requisitions from states.

During 2025–26, demonstrations covering 4.79 lakh hectares were conducted on improved crop production and protection technologies.

The mission also produced 4.33 lakh quintals of quality seeds, distributed 3.10 lakh quintals of certified seeds and provided 9.25 lakh seed kits free of cost to farmers.

Pulse production increased from 242.46 lakh tonnes in 2023–24 to 274.09 lakh tonnes in 2025–26, according to the third advance estimate.

Pulse imports meanwhile declined from 72.56 lakh tonnes in 2024–25 to 59.64 lakh tonnes in 2025–26, which the government attributed to improved domestic availability.

For Jammu & Kashmir, the oilseed mission therefore presents an opportunity not only to increase mustard productivity but also to strengthen local processing and value addition around Kashmir’s traditional brown sarson crop. With better seed, mechanisation, extension support, processing infrastructure and assured market linkages, the Valley could potentially retain more of the economic value generated from its oilseed production.