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GS3 · Agriculture

National Mission on Edible Oils: oil palm and oilseeds targets

1 min readAgriculture
Battle IAS current affairs title card: National Mission on Edible Oils: oil palm and oilseeds targets (GS3 · Agriculture, 8 December 2025)

What happened

  • NMEO-Oil Palm aims at 6.5 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 28 lakh tonnes of crude palm oil by 2029-30. By November 2025 total oil palm area reached 6.20 lakh ha [PIB].
  • Crude palm oil output rose from 1.91 lakh tonnes (2014-15) to 3.80 lakh tonnes (2024-25) [PIB].
  • NMEO-Oilseeds aims to raise oilseed output from 39 to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31 [PIB].

Background

  • Per a NITI Aayog report (Aug 2024), India ranks first in rice bran oil, castor seed, safflower, sesame and niger [PIB].

Why it matters

  • India imports more than half of its edible oil. Oil palm needs a lot of water, so planting is concentrated in the North-East, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

How to use this in Mains

GS-III Agriculture: cropping, MSP, PDS, food processing, land reforms

  1. As per PIB (2025-12-08): NMEO-Oil Palm aims at 6.5 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 28 lakh tonnes of crude palm oil by 2029-30. By November 2025 total oil palm area reached 6.20 lakh ha.
  2. India imports more than half of its edible oil. Oil palm needs a lot of water, so planting is concentrated in the North-East, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Quotable data point

Crude palm oil output rose from 1.91 lakh tonnes (2014-15) to 3.80 lakh tonnes (2024-25).

PIB: PIB Backgrounder: National Mission on Edible Oils, 8 Dec 2025

Exam angle

UPSC

Prelims: NMEO, oilseeds. · Mains: import dependence.

Practice MCQs

Original practice questions (not PYQs).

Practice · UPSC

NMEO-OS target for oilseed output by 2030-31

Answer (c) & explanation

PIB.

Practice · UPSC

In which of these does India rank first, per NITI Aayog?

Answer (b) & explanation

PIB.

Practice · UPSC

Oil palm area by Nov 2025

Answer (b) & explanation

PIB.

Go deeper

ExplainerSelf-Reliance in Pulses and Edible Oils: Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-31), National Mission on Edible Oils (Oilseeds and Oil Palm), Import Dependence and the Way Forward (UPSC Notes + PYQs)ExplainerPM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana: Convergence of 36 Schemes in 100 Low-Productivity Districts, Selection Criteria, Monitoring and the Aspirational Districts Model (UPSC Notes + PYQs)

Official source: PIB: PIB Backgrounder: National Mission on Edible Oils, 8 Dec 2025

facts from cited sources only; faculty review pending