Edible oil output may dip 7.4% in 2009-10

The government today said edible oil output is likely to decline 7.4 per cent to 7.96 million tonnes in the 2009-10. Edible oil production, last year, stood at 8.6 million tonnes. Oil season runs from November to October.

“Production/net availability of edible oil from all domestic sources is estimated to be 7.96 million tonnes in the 2009-10,” Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas said. The demand of edible oil in the country is estimated to have increased to 17.79 million tonnes this year, he said.

The domestic edible oil production is likely to decline following a dip in oilseeds production, which is estimated to be 15.23 million tonnes in the kharif season against 17.88 million tonnes in the last season, the official data showed.

Thomas said, “There is a wide gap in the production and demand of edible oil in the country and imports are resorted to bridge the gap.”