NDDB launches edible-oils initiative and signs IIT Kharagpur MoU

The programme was launched at IIT Kharagpur Research Park in New Town, Kolkata, by Dilip Ghosh, West Bengal’s minister for agricultural marketing, panchayats and rural development. Ashok Kirtania, the state’s minister for cooperation and food supplies, attended the event. NDDB chairman Meenesh Shah, IIT Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty, who joined virtually, and officials from the state government, ICAR, NABARD and NDDB were also present, along with dairy cooperatives, farmer-producer organisations and farmers.

The agreement between NDDB and IIT Kharagpur provides for joint work on research, technology development, field testing, training, post-harvest management, processing and value addition in edible oils. NDDB will contribute its experience with farmer institutions, cooperatives, FPOs and field operations, while IIT Kharagpur will provide expertise in research, engineering, technology, data analysis and post-harvest systems.

Technical assistance is expected from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and state agricultural universities. The distribution of seed minikits at the launch marked the start of field-level activities under the programme.

Ghosh said West Bengal wanted to raise farm incomes through cultivation of mustard, groundnut, sunflower and sesame. He said the state’s agricultural marketing department would work to improve farmers’ access to aggregation, storage, processing and sales, while addressing post-harvest losses and rural employment. He also called for the state’s dairy cooperative network to include oilseed production and for farmers to receive training, credit and insurance support.

Ghosh said cooperation among producers could give small farmers greater bargaining power. He added that the NDDB-IIT Kharagpur partnership would support affordable technology and the procurement and marketing of edible oils. Kirtania proposed that a comparable programme for pulses could also be considered, saying higher domestic output would reduce imports and benefit consumers. He also urged NDDB to create dependable farmer-focused brands that would help producers raise output and reach markets and consumers directly.

Shah said domestic oilseed production and its associated value chain were a priority for NDDB. The board is working through dairy cooperatives and FPOs under the government’s National Mission on Edible Oils, drawing on experience from Operation Golden Flow, oilseed cooperatives and the Dhara brand. Shah also identified possible links between oilseed cultivation, dairy farming and related activities, including the use of oilseed by-products, crop residues and dairy waste to improve resource use and diversify farm incomes.