Govt should hike customs duty on soya, sunflower, crude palm oils: SEA

27 May 2020 Evaluate

The Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) has said the government should hike customs duty on soya, sunflower and crude palm oils and encourage domestic production, as India's 2010 pact with Malaysia and Indonesia came to an end. It has also urged the government to ban the import of refined palm oils or palmolien in order to encourage domestic production. These are some of the short-term measures the trade body has submitted to the government for making India self-sufficient in edible oils.

Low import duties on edible oils over the years have practically made farmers lose interest in oilseed cultivation. SEA has suggested the government to increase import duties on soya and sunflower oils to 45 per cent from the current 37.5 per cent, while crude palm oils to 50 per cent. Besides, import of refined palm oil or palmolien should be totally banned.

SEA also pitched for the launch of an oilseed mission without delay and entry of private companies in this sector. Among long term measures, SEA has suggested the government to encourage Punjab and Haryana farmers to divert land to corn or sunflower in kharif season and mustard in rabi season. To encourage palm cultivation, SEA noted that it is rather unfortunate and beyond comprehension that palm is not treated as a plantation crop in India unlike other parts of the world.

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