Make it palatable

Import duty structure for edible oil needs correction

There is increasing evidence to suggest that both oilseed growers and the oilseed-based industry are struggling to survive. They are unable to compete with imported vegetable oil, which is cheaper, thanks to flawed policies and irrational import duties. About a fifth of the last season’s bumper soybean harvest is likely to remain uncrushed. Growers are unwilling to part with the stock at unremunerative prices, which have dipped by 20 to 30 per cent since June last year and are below the government-guaranteed support level. Initial trends of oilseed sowing in the current kharif season indicate that the area under these