After onion & rice, BJP govt boosts oilseeds trade ahead of polls

Taking cues from the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP government at the Centre has taken many moves in the recent two months to attract farmers in poll-bound Haryana and Maharashtra.

The Modi government's latest action is the Cabinet's approval of the extension of the National Mission on Edible Oils - Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) to promote oil seed production.

This decision is also targeted at attracting farmers in Maharashtra, where oil seeds, particularly soybeans, and a few other crops are produced in huge quantities.


Similarly, last month, the Centre abolished the Minimum Export Price (MEP) of $550 per tonne for onions and halved the 40% levy imposed on onion exports in May.

The decision has been taken shortly before of assembly elections in Maharashtra, the country's major onion producer.

Similarly, with an eye on farmers in Haryana, last month the Centre lifted blanket ban on export of non-basmati white rice while imposing a minimum export price (MEP) of $490 per tonne on the grain.

In Haryana and Maharashtra, Jats and Marathas form the largest chunks of farmers and have been voting against BJP of late.