As a result there will be a shortage of about 1.5 lakh tonnes of edible oil in the next year, according to Satish Kumar Goyal, director, Srihari Agro Industries Limited, manufacturer of the popular `Engine' brand mustard oil.

Toria and lohia seeds are sown between late August and early September and are harvested in mid-January contributing around five lakh tonnes of oilseeds to the country's average production of 255 lakh tonnes per year.The dropsy tragedy in Delhi caused by adulterated edible oils, that had claimed several lives, followed by restrictions of the central and state governments on the edible oil trade seems to have scared consumers and sent signals to the farmers causing them to switch over to other crops, Goyal said.

Besides this region, farmers ofmany other areas have shied away from cultivation of mustard fearing uncertainty over the sale of their produce. The government's decision on mustard oil trade is also unclear, said Goyal."Many consumers switched over to imported oils while a section of traders also engaged in unscrupulous practices charging abnormally high prices for mustard oil," Goyal alleged.

Goyal said that the government's contradictory statements and declarations also did not help, particularly the decision to ban sale of loose edible oils.

Millers are hesitant about carrying on full-scale crushing operations resulting in an acute shortage of mustard oil. Otherwise, there were adequate stocks of mustard seed with millers and oilseed traders, Goyal feels.

He said, "If the scenario does not change soon, a large section of consumers will permanently shift from mustard oil. Consequently this will throw lakhs of people engaged in the cultivation, manufacture and trading of mustard oil out of employment."

"Only foreign oilseedproducing countries will be benefitted, as we already have a deficit of 15-16 lakh tonnes of edible oil each year. Oil imports have been alarmingly high this year," Goyal said.

During April to mid-October in the current financial year, India's edible oil imports crossed the 13-lakh tonne mark compared to 16 lakh tonnes during the whole of 1997-98.

After the Delhi tragedy, thousands of mustard oil samples have been tested in government laboratories of different states so far, but no poisonous substances were traced except in Delhi.

Srihari Agro Industries Limited has recently urged the union food and agriculture minister, Surjeet Singh Barnala to initiate corrective measures to save the age-old mustard oil sector and also for strict implementation of Agmark standard on the sale of mustard oil.