Oilseed crops in Pakistan

Oilseed crops in Pakistan 8Edible oil is one of the important commodities of everyday use. Pakistan has been constantly and chronically deficient in its production and it is very difficult to meet the edible oil requirement of ever increasing population of Pakistan. About 70% of the domestic requirements are met through imports and its import increased at the rate of 12.5% annually which is huge threat to our economy. However, efforts have been made to increase its local production.

Currently, 0.754 million ha of the total cropped area are under oilseed crops:

  • Sunflower
  • Rapeseed – Mustard
  • Sesame
  • Groundnut
  • Linseed
  • Safflower

Sunflower:

Sunflower is an important oilseed crop and is successfully grown under different climatic conditions of the country, i.e., in the warm and harsh conditions of southern part of the country to mild and cool climate in the north. It has great potential to bridge the gaps between the production and consumption of edible oil.

Province wise area, production and yield (kg/ha) of sunflower in Pakistan

Oilseed crops in Pakistan

Rapeseed and mustard:

Brassica rapa and B.napus(rapeseed) and B.juncea (mustard are important crop for oil seed crop in Pakistan having 44-46% good quality oil.38-40%protein with complete profile of amino acid. The meal from canola quality rapeseed varieties is an excellent feed for animals and birds especially for poultry. It is used for edible oil,salad as cooking material and shortening and in margarine.

Province wise Area, Production and Yield of Rapeseed/Mustard and Canola Crops in Pakistan

Oilseed crops in Pakistan 2

Sesame

Sesame (Til) is grown in about 70 countries of the world. It is cultivated successfully in 26 and 24 countries of Africa and Asia, respectively. Its seed contain 50-60 percent oil and 22 percent protein. Its oil is semi-drying type and suitable for human health.

Oilseed crops in Pakistan 3

Groundnut:

Groundnut is a very important source of oil and protein. Its kernel is rich in both oil (43-55 %) and protein (25-28 %). Its oil contains about 22 % linoleic acid and 61 % oleic acid and is considered one of the best vegetable oil for human consumption.

Oilseed crops in Pakistan 4

Linseed

Linseed is a long day plant and cultivated in 34 countries of the world. It is one of the major agro-industrial oilseed crops. Its seed contains 33-43% oil of drying type and 24% protein. Its oil has high percentages of unsaturated fatty acids, it is mainly used in paint and varnish industries.Oilseed crops in Pakistan 5

Safflower

Safflower seed contains 25-37% oil. Its oil is of drying type with iodine number upto 149 and contains little linolenic acid and high percentage of oleic acid and linoleic acids. Safflower oil is human health friendly and can be blended with other edible oil or can also be used directly for edible purpose.

Oilseed crops in Pakistan 7

Authors:

Fareeha Zafar**, Farooq Ahmad khan* and Sohail Irshad*


 

** Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

* Instructor Agronomy at In-Service Agricultural Training Institute, Sargodha

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