'Farmers may shift to wheat for better yield'

EXPERT SPEAK: Davish Jain

The Central Organisation for Oil Industry & Trade (COOIT), an apex body that keeps a vigil on edible oilseeds and oil in the country, has been instrumental in cajoling farmers to sow more oilseeds. Farmers should now focus on increasing yields, says its Chairman Davish Jain in an interview with Dilip Kumar Jha. Excerpts:

How have kharif oilseeds fared so far. What are the prospects for rabi crop?

The kharif oilseed crop estimates as on October 12 (preliminary) have gone up by 13 per cent due to better yields and 11 per cent rise in the sowing area. Given the price that farmers received for mustard/rapeseed this year -- 10 per cent above the minimum selling price (MSP) -- the prospects for rabi crop are likely to be good.

However, the recent increase in MSP of wheat by 33 per cent is likely to impact the sowing pattern, and land may be used for wheat rather than oilseeds. Farmers need to get a better yield for higher price realisation.

How can we boost the per capita consumption of edible oils in the country?

The per capita consumption of edible oils and fats has grown marginally in the last seven years -- from 11.4 kg in 2000 to 12 kg in 2006.

However, there's a huge gap between what the affluent, the middle class and the lower strata of society consume. Increase in the production of domestic edible oils would be conductive for higher per capita consumption.

Do you think India is under pressure to cut duties on Indonesian and Malaysian imports?

The duties on imports are so low that there is no further room for reduction, and we currently do not see any pressure for a duty cut. The effective duty is around 23 per cent against 50-90 per cent last year.