Parliament Question: Modernisation of Oil Mills

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 231 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16TH DECEMBER, 2025 MODERNISATION OF OIL MILLS *231. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी be pleased to state: (a) the number of oil mills in the country that continue to rely on low-technology, mechanical crushing methods with sub-optimal oil recovery, including the number of such units presently functional in Churu; (b) whether the Government is aware of mechanical screw presses leaving behind 8-14% of the expressible oil in the deoiled cake, making a large quantity of edible oil unavailable for human consumption; (c) if so, the measures taken by the Government to support modernisation of extraction technologies; (d) the financial or technical support extended to small and medium-scale operators for such upgradation; and (e) the expected gains in recovery rates, farmer remuneration and reduction of edible oil imports from technology upgradation? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 231 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 16TH DECEMBER, 2025 REGARDING MODERNISATION OF OIL MILLS: (a) to (e): As per NITI Aayog’s 2024 report, the organized edible oil sector comprises “Oil Mills (Crushing Units)” numbering around 15,000 with an annual capacity of approximately 36 million tonnes. (Source: NITI Aayog, Pathways & Strategy for Accelerating Growth in Edible Oil Towards Goal Of Atmanirbharta). As per data of Udhyam registration, 104 oil manufacturing units are registered in Churu District of Rajasthan. As per information received from Directorate of Sugar & Vegetable Oils, Department of Food and Public Distribution, the efficiency of edible-oil extraction is influenced both by the intrinsic oil content of the crop and the technology used in processing. Oilseed Intrinsic Mechanical Solvent Notes Oil Content Expeller Extraction (%) Recovery (%) Recovery (%) Mustard / 38–42 30–33 38–40 Largest domestic edible-oil Rapeseed source; widely cultivated in North India. Groundnut 42–50 32–35 45–48 Gujarat & South India produce majority; high oil content. Soybean 17–20 12–14 18–20 Key for edible oil & protein meal; mostly solvent extracted. Sunflower 38–45 28–32 40–42 Sensitive to moisture; solvent yields significantly higher. Sesame (Til) 45–55 35–40 48–52 Premium oil; mostly expeller- processed traditionally. Cottonseed 15–20 8–10 14–18 Low oil content; almost always solvent extracted. Castor (Non- 45–50 42–45 48–50 Used for industrial/chemical edible) applications. While mechanical screw-presses show lower efficiency, modern solvent-extraction improves recovery substantially. The Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oilseeds (NMEO- OS) on 3rd October, 2024 with an outlay of Rs. ₹10,103.38 crore (with a central share of ₹7,481.67 crore) to boost domestic oilseed production and to strive toward self-sufficiency in edible oils. The mission aims to increase primary oilseed production to 69.7 million tonnes, expand area coverage to 33 million hectares, and improve productivity to 2,112 kg/ha by 2030–31.The Mission is being implemented in a cluster-based approach with market linkage. Value Chain Clusters are managed by Value Chain Partners such as Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), cooperatives and other agencies. Under these clusters, farmers are provided free high-quality seeds upto area of 1 hectare each and training on good agricultural practices. In addition, the Mission also supports the establishment and upgradation of post-harvest infrastructure (oil mills) to improve recovery from primary and secondary sources. So far, 203 Oil Mills Sanctioned under NMEO- Oilseeds during 2025- 26, state wise details is enclosed at Annexure-I. National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) also being implemented since 2021, aims to promote oil palm cultivation and enhance the availability of edible oils in the country by expanding oil palm area, increasing Crude Palm Oil (CPO) production, and reducing the import dependence on edible oils. Under the Mission, financial assistance is provided to farmers for planting materials, inputs for maintenance and intercropping during the gestation period of up to four years, establishment of seed gardens, nurseries, micro-irrigation facilities, borewells, pump-sets, water harvesting structures, vermicompost units, solar pumps, harvesting tools, custom hiring centres/harvester groups and for training of farmers and officers, as well as for replanting of old oil palm gardens. Additionally, assistance is also provided for setting up of oil mills for processing fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) for North Eastern States. The objective of both missions (NMEO-OS and NMEO-OP) is to double the country’s edible oil production by 2030–31 through the widespread dissemination of improved varieties and modern technologies to farmers.Annexure-I State wise oil mill sanctioned under NMEO- Oilseeds during 2025-26: S. No. State Oil mill sanctioned in numbers 1 Andhra Pradesh 10 2 Assam 56 3 Chhattisgarh 10 4 Gujarat 9 5 Jharkhand 4 6 Karnataka 9 7 Maharashtra 22 8 Madhya Pradesh 11 9 Meghalaya 2 10 Nagaland 16 11 Odisha 16 12 Rajasthan 13 13 Sikkim 10 14 Telangana 10 15 Uttar Pradesh 3 16 West Bengal 2 Total 203 ******