Why is achieving 'atmanirbharta' in edible oils a difficult ask?

Unless the focus comes back on high-yielding seeds that have a higher oil content than currently available varieties, self-sufficiency in edible oils will continue to be a mirage

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Interim Budget speech on February 1, said the Modi government would launch an “Atmanirbhar Abhiyan” for oilseeds, building on a similar proposal mooted in one of her previous Budgets. The campaign, she said, would ensure availability of high-yielding seeds, market linkage procurement, value addition, crop insurance, and adoption of modern techniques in the five major oilseeds – mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean, and sunflower.

These five together accounted for almost 95 per cent of the country’s oilseeds production of 41.35 million tonnes in 2022-23 (July to June). Any significant jump in their production will surely reduce