Introduction to Oil Seed Crops
Introduction to Oil Seed Crops
Oil Seed Crops are primarily grown for the oil
contained in the seeds and widely used in cooking across Pakistan. The oil content percentage in
oil seed crops varies from 20 % to 60 % depending upon the size and variety.
Many oilseed crops are grown in Pakistan predominantly as a source of
vegetable oil. The commonly grown varieties are Rapeseed mustard, groundnut and
sesame, which are grown in the country for a long period. Sunflower, soybean
and safflower have been introduced recently in the country. There are also some
oilseed crops, which are mainly used for industrial purposes, such as linseed
and castor. Presently, local production of oilseeds meets only about 32%
percent of the total country's requirements for edible oil. The Benefits of Oil
Seed Crops
Import
Edible oil is Pakistan’s
largest food import commodity ranking third in the import list after petroleum
products and machinery. Pakistan is
dependent upon other countries to fulfill more than 80% edible oil requirement
and spending a big amount of foreign exchange every year. The
country’s annual import of edible oil stands at a staggering $4 billion,
causing a significant drain on the country’s economy.
Local
production
The local production
of edible oil is less than 20% of country’s requirements. The gap between
production and consumption of edible oil is still increasing due to increase in
population and increase in per capita consumption of edible oil in our daily
diet. Directorate of Oilseeds, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad (Pakistan)
is carrying out research activities to develop oilseed crop varieties/hybrids
including Canola, Rapeseed, Mustard, Sunflower, Sesame and Soybean having
better adaptability under the scenario of climate change. As an outcome of
research activities, Directorate of Oilseeds evolved more than 30 varieties of
above-mentioned oilseed crops which significantly played important role in
enhancing provincial and national production of oilseeds. In recent years, ORI
Faisalabad worked on enhanced pace and developed high yielding varieties of
Canola i.e. Sandal Canola, Super Canola and AARI Canola. AARI Canola is the Pakistan’s
1st Canola version (00) variety in Mustard group and got much popularity among
farmers due to short growing period, shattering tolerance and high omega-3 oil.
With the collaborative efforts of Directorate of Oilseeds and other stake
holders, especially Agriculture extension wing, the farming community was
inspired to grow oilseed crops which significantly enhanced crop area in the
province. Use of quality seed of better oilseed varieties and adoption of
appropriate production technology also enhanced the average per acre production
of oilseed crops during last two years. However, mechanization in cultivation
of oilseed crops can further accelerate the growth of oilseeds sector.
: There are many benefits and advantages of growing
oil seed crops such as: Grown in any Farm System: Almost all the varieties of
oil seed crops can be grown in any farming system. These crops are mostly
weather resistant and can be grown in all sorts of weather conditions and have
the following advantages: These crops
are easy to grow and doØ not
require any till farm practice. Oil seed
crops can be easily grown inØ mulch till as well as no till farms. No specific mechanization is requiredØ and can be easily grown through
conventional farming methods. Rotational Crops: Out of all the varieties of oil
seed crops, some of them are summer varieties and others are winter varieties.
So they can be used as a form of rotational crops between the conventional
crops grown in summer and winter season which leads to soil fertility and
enhances the nutrient composition of soil for other crops to be grown. Support
for Pest Management: Oil seed crops are ideal for pest hit land as when grown,
they change the chemical pesticide formulation to assist in weed and disease
control. All the varieties of oil seed crop helps in reducing the grassy weed
hence providing optimum produce. These crops are also resistant to insects.
Addition to Soil Health and Quality: As these crops also serve the purpose of
rotational crops, their farming helps in making the soil fertile thus
increasing the soil sustainability. Oil seed crops are tap root crops so they
break the tillage pans by utilizing the different moisture profiles. These
crops also help in reducing the soil erosion and help in keeping it firm thus
increasing the chances for soil microbial activity which is required for the
optimum crop growth and production. Economic Value: The main advantage of oil
seed crops is that they provide alternative opportunities in marketing in the
form of oil and meal byproducts which can be used on farm after processing to
reduce energy and feed costs. Additionally, the crops grown after the
harvesting of oil seed crops, always give higher yield because of the soil
sustainability factor gained through planting oil seed crops. Oil seed crops
have diversified markets for assisting with farm sustainability. Oil Seed Crops
2 Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) Nutritional Value:
Fats and oils are essential nutrients, comprising about 40% of the calories in
the average diet intake. Edible vegetable oils are used as salad or cooking
oils, or may be solidified (by a process called hydrogenation) to make
margarine and shortening. These products supplement or replace animal products
(e.g., butter, lard), supplies of which are inadequate to meet the needs of an
increasing world population. Oil Seed Crop Varieties: Following are the
commonly grown and used varieties of oil seed crops: Rapeseed-Mustard and Canola:
Rapeseed-Mustard and Canola is a rich source of oil and protein. The seed has
oil as high as 46-48 percent, Whole seed meal has 43.6 percent protein.
Rapeseed meal is an excellent feed for animals. Salient characteristics of this
crop is that it has high yielding potential and better tolerance to stresses
like drought and extreme cold. Commonly used varieties in Pakistan are: DGL· Toria-A·
Raya L-18· Poorbi Raya·
Raya Anmol· Khanpur Raya·
Punjab Canola· Faisal Canola· Sunflower: Sunflower has been
accommodated between the two major crops in a cotton and rice-based cropping
system, or on fallow land in summers. Moreover, sunflower displays good
intercropping compatibility with other crops. The commonly used sunflower
varieties are: PARC-92E· SMH-9706· SMH-0907·
SMH-0917·
Soybean: It is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. It
contains 18 to 22 percent oil and is highly desirable in the diet and have 40
to 42 percent of good quality protein. Therefore, it is the best source of
protein and oil and truly claim the title of the meat/oil that grows on plants.
Generally, it is used in the food industry for flour, oil, margarine, cookies,
biscuit, candy, milk, vegetable cheese, lecithin and many other products. Oil
Seed Crops 3 Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) Soybean
is a dual season crop and a high yielding produce as well. The most commonly
grown variety is: Faisal Soybean· Sesame: It is widely naturalized
in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds,
which grow in pods. Sesame seed is one of the oldest corn-seed crops known,
domesticated well over 3000 years ago. It was a major summer crop in the Middle East for thousands of years, as
attested to by the discovery of many ancient presses for sesame oil in the
region. Sesame is drought-tolerant and is able to grow where other crops fail.
Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any oil seed. The commonly grown
varieties SG-51· SG-43· SG-30· Linseed / Flax Flax is an annual
plant, 18 -36 inches tall, with small and thin leaves and blue flowers. Flax is
cultivated both for seed as well as for fiber. The different portions of the
plant have been utilized to produce fabric, medicines, paper, dye, fishing nets
in addition to soap. A vegetable oil known as linseed oil or flaxseed oil is
produced by the seeds. In addition to this flaxseed meal is used as animal
feed. According to researchers, there is an evidence that flaxseed is good for
improving overall health or preventing diseases. The commonly used variety
is: Chandni·
Coastal area potential
Experts
suggest that the coastal areas of Sindh have high potential for the production
of palm, sesame, and canola oils, but it is imperative that the government
takes swift action to increase production and reduce reliance on imports.
President Sindh Chamber of Agriculture
Miran Mohammed Shah highlighted that the Southern Divisions of Sindh, including
the areas of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, and
Shaheed Benazirabad, are already making advances in growing oilseed crops
Governments support
Due
to non-standardised approaches, locally cultivated different edible oil plant
varieties have not been able to achieve desired results. For example, in
Mianwali, Canola is being cultivated significantly now, but the non-approved
Canola variety of UAF-11 used by the majority of farmers contains around 20%
euric acid, exceeding the maximum limit of euric acid for edible oil, which is
less than 5%. This lack of standardisation has resulted in a rise in smuggling
due to the hike in prices of edible oil.
“The edible oil industry doesn’t want
to a pay fair price to the local farmers, but seems to be willing to pay more
to foreign growers,”
Local
farmers are not getting any support from the government side in the development
of these seeds, including incentives like subsidised rates and ensuring the
availability and development of such seeds.
Policy
There
is a huge opportunity in Pakistan to grow oil seeds
with a sustained long-term policy. This policy should include the provision of quality seeds/plants,
proper pricing, and extension work so that growers can attain proper yields and
return on the crop.
Despite identifying the opportunity to
grow oil seeds in Pakistan for more than a
decade, there is still a lack of attention from the government in agriculture
to develop a long-term sustainable policy, he said.
With
the country’s reliance on imports and rising prices of edible oil, urgent
action is necessary to boost the local production of edible oil in Pakistan. The potential for
the production of palm, sesame, and canola oils in the coastal areas of Sindh
can be harnessed with the government’s intervention and support for
standardized approaches and the development of quality seeds/plants. A
sustained long-term policy is needed to improve the agriculture sector’s
production of edible oil in Pakistan.
