Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Economy / Centre, states discuss steps to reduce edible oil imports
BackBack

Centre, states discuss steps to reduce edible oil imports

In the seventh meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog, states stressed on the need for effective minimum support price for pulses and edible oil

NITI Aayog. (Mint Photo)Premium
NITI Aayog. (Mint Photo)

NEW DELHI : Centre and states on Sunday discussed steps needed to reduce the import dependence on edible oil and to diversify crops amid acute water stress in parts of the country.  

In the seventh meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, states stressed on the need for effective minimum support price (MSP) for pulses and edible oil, said Ramesh Chand, member, agriculture at NITI Aayog.   

He added that during the meeting, the prime minister explained the need for agriculture diversification and the need for self-sufficiency in edible oils. Prime minister mentioned that India is importing edible oil worth 1 trillion and the country is meeting nearly half of its total demand of edible oil from imports.    

 Chand said that states shared their experiences about how they are diversifying crops, especially those states where there is stress on natural resources and water.  States also shared information about what kind of incentives they give to farmer to shift the crop pattern.   

States also raised matters of their concern. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanded at the meeting that the legislation on subjects in the Concurrent List of the Constitution should be initiated only after adequate consultation with the states and that the Centre should desist from legislation in the items in the State List, Vijayan said in a statement after the meeting. The Kerala chief minister also drew demanded a review of the imposition of GST on essential items and requested to continue the GST compensation to states for another five years, the statement said. 

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Centre to give Odisha special focus and funds for disaster proofing as the state is impacted almost every year by natural disasters, news agency ANI reported. 

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao boycotted the meeting, an incident that NITI Aayog described as “unfortunate." 

 “Also, states made suggestions that if they are helped in a particular way, they can go for diversification in a much faster manner... Overall impression was that states are already working on both crop diversification and also for achieving self-sufficiency… Mainly the demand which came was that MSP in the case of pulses and edible oils need to be made more effective," he said.   

Talking of pulses, Ramesh Chand said that production of pulses in the country has improved substantively in the past five to six years and the country.   

 “We are exporting little bit pulses also and we are importing some pulses. In the case of pulses, we are now deficit only in Masoor and to some extent in Arhar. In the other kind of pulses, we are very close to self-sufficiency," he said, adding that in case of pulses India’s import dependence is less than 7-8%.   

The discussion on crop diversification is significant given that there is severe water stress in some of the states. In 2019, Modi had launched a scheme to conserve groundwater in seven states facing acute water shortage and had urged farmers to opt for less water-intensive crops, moving away from crops like sugarcane.    

The Atal Jal Yojana seeks to benefit Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat where ground water situation is very worrisome.   

The topics discussed during the governing council meeting were crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in pulses, oilseeds and other agri-commodities, implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) in school and higher education and urban governance.   

A statement from NITI Aayog said that during meeting, the prime minister highlighted the importance of the subjects in the agenda, especially the need for India to focus on modernized agriculture, animal husbandry, and food processing to become self-sufficient and a global leader in the agriculture sector.    

Modi said rapid urbanization can become India’s strength instead of weakness by leveraging technology to ensure ease of living, transparent service delivery, and improvement in the quality of life for every citizen of urban India.   

He also spoke about India’s G20 presidency in 2023 and called it a unique opportunity to show the world that "India is not just Delhi and it is every state and union territory of the country".    

Speaking about this, the union minister of external affairs, S. Jaishankar, said: “The G20 Presidency presents a great opportunity and a great responsibility. For the first time in the history of G20, India will host the G20 meetings over the year, not only in Delhi, but in every State and Union Territory."   

While highlighting several initiatives undertaken to boost learning outcomes, capacity-building of teachers, and skilling, union minister of education, Dharmendra Pradhan requested further support of the states for the successful implementation of the national education policy.   

In his closing remarks, the prime minister said states must focus on reducing imports, increasing exports and identifying opportunities for the same in every state.   

Modi said that even though GST collection has improved, India has a higher potential. “Increasing GST collection requires collective action by the Centre and states. It is crucial for strengthening our economic position and becoming a $5 trillion economy," he said.    

The meeting held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre is the first in-person meeting of the policy thinktank’s governing council since July 2019. NITI Aayog governing council meetings are significant given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief ministers interact in these meetings on issues of national importance, such as attaining self-sufficiency in key sectors.  The meeting aims to build synergies towards Centre-state collaboration. 

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rituraj Baruah
Rituraj Baruah is a senior correspondent at Mint, reporting on housing, urban affairs, small businesses and energy. He has reported on diverse sectors over the last six years including, commodities and stocks market, insolvency and real estate. He has previous stints at Cogencis Information Services, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) and Inc42.
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 07 Aug 2022, 09:03 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App