The country is importing over 3.5 million metric tonnes of edible oil that is putting a burden of billions of rupees to the national exchequer.

This was stated by speakers at the International Seminar on Palm Oil Trade, Applications and Diet was arranged at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). The seminar was jointly organized by the National Institute of Food Science and Technology, UAF and Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that it was need of the hour to promote oilseed crops in the country to overcome the issue. Talking about palm oil, he said that palm oil was one of the famous vegetable oil. He added that there is a need to dispel the misconception about palm oil. He viewed that we have to ensure proper procedures and measures for the production of the edible oil for the health of the people. He called for joint efforts to cope with the food security which is posing a threat. Johari Minal from MPOB said that Pakistan edible oil consumption has grown significantly from 2.7 million metric tons in 2000 to 5.3 million metric tons in 2020. The market has grown double over the time and palm oil accounted for 50 percent of the total and rest of from Soybean, canola, and cottonseed oils among others. Oil has always been an important component in the oils and fats industry of the country. Malaysia is also an advocate of sustainable oil palm and has implemented certification of certified and sustainable palm oil under the framework of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification scheme. MPOS is a leading and trusted producer of certified palm oil. Dean Faculty of Food Nutrition and Home Sciences Prof Dr Masood Sadiq Butt said that Pakistan consumes millions of tons of edible oil a year, of which majority of it is imported, mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia- the world’s biggest producers of the commodity. He said that palm oil is widely used by the industry for manufacturing ghee. He said that the valuable research work with Malaysia would be carried out on palm oil,. DG NIFSAT Dr Tahir Zahoor said that the collaboration with Malaysia would bring tangible research especially in the palm oil as Malaysia is the one of largest producers of edible oil. He said that the university used to hold such seminars for the public awareness.