India imports over half its edible oil, faces food risks: NITI Aayog VC

India is perhaps still not secure regarding its food supply across the various products, as the country is the world's largest importer of edible oils, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said on Friday. Addressing an event here, Lahiri said India meets more than half of its edible oil needs through imports, and imports are estimated at 17 million metric tonnes, valued at about USD 20 billion. Similarly, India is both the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses, and accounts for roughly a fourth of total global pulse consumption, approximately 25 to 27 million tonnes annually. "We are talking about Viksit Krishi in Viksit Bharat in 2047. As we move towards Viksit Bharat at 2047, are we secure regarding our food supply across the various products? Perhaps not as yet," he said. Lahiri observed that he was surprised to learn that chana (gram) which Indians eat comes from Australia, lentils masoor dal from Australia and Canada, and some pulses come from Myanmar, Africa,