Arnold Thomas

Expert

Published on: Aug 14, 2026

Nmoop

India is one of the major edible oil consuming and producing countries in the world. The distinct agricultural environment in India provides an opportunity to produce 9 different oilseeds such as groundnut, rapeseed, castor, niger, safflower, sesame, sunflower, soybean, mustard and linseed. National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (Nmoop) was implemented during the 12

th Five Year Plan, to expand the oil palm areas and increase the production of edible oils.

Objectives of Nmoop Mission

The mission citing the importance of oil palm was launched in 12 potential states in India with the listed purpose,
To bring 75,000 hectares area under palm cultivation and increase the production of edible oils
To promote oil palms in all Northern-Eastern states
To address the demand for new oil palm plantations both from native and imported sources
To render assistance to farmers by providing planting materials, maintenance cost for palms, irrigation & bore well, and harvesting tools.
To buy Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) from farmers through processing industries
To provide profitable rates for FFBs when international Crude Palm Oil (CPO) price drops
To support farmers through Market Intervention Scheme (MIS)

Further, it focuses on the Mini Mission–II for Oil Seeds and has the following vision to be fulfilled,

To increase the Seed Replacement Ratio (SSR) with a focus on the Varietal Replacement
To raise the area of irrigation of the Oilseeds from 26% to 36%
To encourage the inter-cropping of oilseeds with cereals/pulses and sugarcane
To increase the availability of quality and efficient planting materials of Oil Palm and Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs)

Implementing Body

National and State level committees are established to oversee the activities of the mission.
National Level Committee comprises of,
- An Executive Committee (EC) to guide and monitor the overall progress of the mission. It is headed by the Union Minister of Agriculture and consulted by the heads of several DACs.
- A Standing Committee (SC) to oversee the activities and approve the Annual Action Plan (AAP) of the States.
- A Mission Monitoring Committee (MMC) to review the physical and financial progress of the three Mini Missions.

State Level Committee is formed by the State Government to decide the priorities, examine the AAPs and evaluate the progress of each Mini Missions implemented in the States. It is chaired by the Chairman of Agriculture Production Commissioner/Principal Secretary/Secretary (Agriculture) of the State.

Target of Nmoop Mission

The Nmoop was launched under Mini Missions (MM) I, II & III to achieve the specific targets as briefed below:

Under the MM–I, the mission aims to increase the production of oilseeds to 35.51 million tonnes from the current average production of 28.93 million tonnes of oilseeds.
Under the MM–II, the mission’s target is to broaden the area for oil palm cultivation and boost the production of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) from 4927 kg/ha to 15,000 kg/ha.

MM–III envisages to strengthen the seed collection of Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs) such as olive, sal, mahua, kokum, wild apricot, Tung etc., from 9 lakh tonnes to 14 lakh tonnes and provide best planting materials for the expanded areas.

Funding Pattern

The fund allotted under the mission is shared between the Central and State Governments in the ratio of 75:25 and is released to the Department of Agriculture/Horticulture of the State Governments. Out of the total fund allocated under the mission,1% of it is reserved at national and state levels to use it during the crisis period and 10% of the fund is set aside as a flexi-fund in meeting the listed objectives.

To provide versatility to States in meeting the local demands and achieving the objectives of Nmoop.
To improve efficiency within the overall objectives of the scheme and bring in the desired results.

To carry out restoration activities during the disaster period in the oilseed sector.

Funding Pattern for the Flexi-funds

No separate system or utilisation certificate is required to obtain the flexi-fund.
The flexi-fund is released proportionately along with the normal Nmoop funds.
No separate audit requirements are framed in obtaining the flexi-funds.
The Nmoop follows the same audit structure carried out by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG).

The flexi-funds evaluation is done through the proposed evaluation process of Nmoop. The resultant will be a part of MIS and with proper channelization, good practices, transparency and cross-learning implemented among the States for better evaluation.

Purpose of the Mini Mission

Mini Mission–I (Oil Seeds)

The mission citing the importance of oil palm was launched in 12 potential states in India with the listed purpose,
To bring 75,000 hectares area under palm cultivation and increase the production of edible oils
To promote oil palms in all Northern-Eastern states
To address the demand for new oil palm plantations both from native and imported sources
To render assistance to farmers by providing planting materials, maintenance cost for palms, irrigation & bore well, and harvesting tools.
To buy Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) from farmers through processing industries
To provide profitable rates for FFBs when international Crude Palm Oil (CPO) price drops

To support farmers through Market Intervention Scheme (MIS)

Pattern of Assistance for Mini Mission-I

There are three categories under which the assistance is encouraged for the enhancement of the oilseeds.
Nmoop aids with the effective selection and processing of the seed components.
Proper and effective selection and purchase of high breeder and quality seeds receive a 100% assistance which are classified as under,
1. Production of breeder seed
2. Purchase of breeder seed/parental lines (for production of hybrid seed)
3. Distribution of Minikit (Varietal Diversification)
4. Seed Infrastructure Development
5. 75 % of assistance is extended for the following components,
6. Production of foundation seed
7. Production of certified seed
8. Distribution of certified seed
Maximum assistance of 75% is released by the Nmoop and 25% by the State Government, for the methodologies framed and executed for the seed production.

Assistance is extended for educating the farmers with the latest technologies.

Mini Mission–II (Oil Palm)

Further, the focuses on the Mini Mission–II for Oil Seeds and has the following vision to be fulfilled,
To increase the Seed Replacement Ratio (SSR) with a focus on the Varietal Replacement.
To raise the area of irrigation of the Oilseeds from 26% to 36%.
To encourage the inter-cropping of oilseeds with cereals/pulses and sugarcane.

To increase the availability of quality and efficient planting materials of Oil Palm and Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs).

Pattern of Assistance for Mini Mission-II

The following are the financial assistance covered under Nmoop for the increased cultivation of oil palm.

85% of the planting material which is equal to Rs.12,000 per hectare is provided to the farmers
50% of the maintenance cost of new plantation for four years is incurred.
20,000 per hectare is disbursed for inter-cropping of oilseeds during the gestation period.
Rs 50,000 per unit of electricity is distributed for the installation of irrigation and harvesting structures.

Mini Mission–III (Tree Borne Oilseeds–TBOs)

Nmoop implements the Mini Mission–III either through the Departments of Agriculture of the State Governments or the Department of Horticulture and it focuses on,

Expanding the plantation area.
Providing proper maintenance of the seedings.
Encouraging the intercropping during the gestation periods.
Providing technical support and training with the assistance of Government institutions.

Pattern of Assistance for Mini Mission-III

The Mini Mission-III oversees the following financial assistance for the TBO components,
It incurs 100% cost on the integrated development of the nurseries & plantation from the existing wasteland/degraded forest land.
It provides Rs.1000/Hectare as incentives for carrying out intercropping of TBOs.
It distributes 100% of the total cost on the Research and Development on TBOs with the aids of the institutions like ICAR, ICFRE, CSIR and IITs.
It assures the project cost for the distribution of pre-processing, processing and oil extraction equipment with a back-ended credit-linked subsidy of 30% complied with 50% of the loan and 20% of an individual share.
A grand amount up to Rs.50 lakh per annum is allocated for the promotion of seed collections of TBOs and facilitating marketing of collected TBO seeds.
The assistance of Rs.24000 per batch is provided for training 30 farmers, who are involved with the plantation of Tree Borne Oilseeds.

- It disburses Rs.36,000 per training for a batch of 20 officers on the awareness of the TBOs in AAPs.
- It extends the assistance on outsourcing technical person and encouraging them with awards for providing the needed support and awareness on the TBOs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about NMOOP.

The National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) is a scheme implemented by the Government of India during the 12th Five Year Plan to expand the area under oil palm cultivation and increase the production of edible oils in the country.

The main objectives of the NMOOP mission are to bring 75,000 hectares of land under oil palm cultivation, promote oil palm cultivation in all North-Eastern states, address the demand for new oil palm plantations, assist farmers with planting materials, maintenance costs, irrigation, and harvesting tools, procure Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) from farmers, provide remunerative prices for FFBs, and support farmers through the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).

The NMOOP comprises three Mini Missions: Mini Mission–I (Oil Seeds), Mini Mission–II (Oil Palm), and Mini Mission–III (Tree Borne Oilseeds–TBOs).

Under Mini Mission–I, the NMOOP aims to increase the production of oilseeds to 35.51 million tonnes from the current average production of 28.93 million tonnes.

Mini Mission–II focuses on increasing the Seed Replacement Ratio (SSR) with a focus on Varietal Replacement, raising the area of irrigation of Oilseeds from 26% to 36%, encouraging the intercropping of oilseeds with other crops, and increasing the availability of quality planting materials for Oil Palm and Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs).

Under Mini Mission–II, the NMOOP provides 85% of the cost of planting material (up to Rs. 12,000 per hectare), 50% of the maintenance cost of new plantations for four years, Rs. 20,000 per hectare for intercropping during the gestation period, and Rs. 50,000 per unit for the installation of irrigation and harvesting structures.

Mini Mission–III under the NMOOP focuses on expanding the plantation area of Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs), providing proper maintenance of seedlings, encouraging intercropping during the gestation period, and providing technical support and training through government institutions.

Under Mini Mission–III, the NMOOP provides 100% cost for the integrated development of nurseries and plantations on existing wastelands/degraded forest lands, Rs. 1000 per hectare as incentives for intercropping of TBOs, 100% cost for research and development on TBOs, project cost for pre-processing, processing, and oil extraction equipment with a 30% back-ended credit-linked subsidy, and financial assistance for training farmers and officers on TBOs.

The funding under the NMOOP is shared between the Central and State Governments in the ratio of 75:25. Additionally, 1% of the total fund is reserved for crisis periods, and 10% is set aside as a flexi-fund to meet local demands and improve efficiency within the overall objectives of the scheme.

The implementing bodies for the NMOOP include National Level Committees (Executive Committee, Standing Committee, and Mission Monitoring Committee) and State Level Committees formed by respective State Governments to decide priorities, examine Annual Action Plans, and evaluate the progress of the Mini Missions.