Chairperson's Desk
Dear Members,
This June 2026, we at the Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC) feel a sense of pride, completing seven decades of dedication in promoting India's Oilseeds exports through market access, trade facilitation, policy advocacy and international partnerships. The journey since 1956, has been established on a foundational principle of enhancing global competitiveness of India's Oilseeds sector, promotion of sustainable and traceable exports and going forward, resolving to increase India's agricultural exports. Through this journey, we are committed to empowering our Indian Oilseeds exporters across agriculture value chains.
In the overall Indian Oilseed sector, the primary focus remains to bring about self-reliance in Indian Oilseeds against the backdrop of the global biofuels policies on edible Oils. It is the need of the hour to increase crop yields to combat record-high edible Oil import bills. Our Indian farmers have now access to the recently launched digital tool 'Oilseeds Kisan Mitra' WhatsApp AI that help farmers directly with crop advisory which will help in increasing crop production.
The ambitious Export Promotion Mission (EPM) announced by the Government of India last year, has given a major boost to the agriculture exports by bringing various schemes under a single digital platform, providing Oilseeds exporters easier access to trade finance, overseas warehousing and market intelligence. With the objective to spearhead EPM, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade organised a National Workshop on Export Promotion Mission - Niryat Protsahan. IOPEPC participated in this orientation workshop wherein in-depth information and various key initiatives were discussed.
The EPM holds immense promise for the Exporter and MSME community. Approved by the Union Cabinet with a total outlay of Rupees 25,060 crore for the six-year period from FY 2025-26 to FY 2030-31, the Mission operates through two integrated sub-schemes - Niryat Protsahan, which improves MSMEs' access to affordable trade finance through interest subvention, export factoring, collateral guarantees and credit cards for e-commerce exporters; and Niryat Disha, which provides non-financial support covering export quality and compliance, international branding and packaging, participation in trade fairs, export warehousing and logistics, and inland transport reimbursements. In the larger scheme of things, Oilseeds exporters and the MSME community stand to gain in a big way from EPM, wherein they can have access to affordable finance, streamlined digital approvals, and support for targeted logistics and compliance measures.
It is interesting to report that IOPEPC is associated as a collaborating institution in the 'Development of a Market-Linked Integrated Groundnut-Based Quality Production and Value Addition Cluster in Jhansi District of Bundelkhand Region' project with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, a World Bank-funded initiative. The overall objective of the project was to create a sustainable and market-driven Groundnut ecosystem in the Bundelkhand region.
As we look at how Groundnut and Sesame Seeds have faired till date, we observe that Groundnut recorded 107689 tonnes during April-May 2026, while Sesame seeds exports were 35157.93 tonnes, during the same period.
Our flagship event IOPEPC Global Oilseeds Conference (IGOC) scheduled from 9th - 11th October is shaping up well and has emerged as the important annual event on the calendar of all stakeholders in the global Oilseed sector. I extend a warm invitation to our members, all policymakers, government officials, international trade organisations, exporters, importers, processors, research institutions, logistics providers, financial institutions and other key stakeholders from India and overseas to leverage this global event and enhance their visibility, forge fruitful collaborations and drive sustained Oilseed export growth.
At IOPEPC, we consider our members' feedback as invaluable. We are always seeking suggestions and inputs on improving the quality and relevance of every e-copy of the issue. We continue to strive in the direction of facilitating the best of trade initiatives, actionable market intelligence and robust policy advocacy. Together, we can build an internationally competitive and future-ready Indian Oilseeds sector.
With regards,
Sandeep Bhura
Chairperson Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council