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The Mangaluru council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the Centre to allow the import of RBD (refined, bleached and deodorised) palmolein oil so that the country is fully prepared to supply sufficient edible oil in any worst-case scenario during coronavirus outbreak.
K Prakash Rao, Chairman of the Mangaluru council of CII, said that the Centre has put import of RBD palmolein oil on restricted list. Only crude palm oil can be imported, and need to be refined in the country.
He said Karnataka has very less refining capacity with only two big refiners in Mangaluru. If Mangaluru is to be shut down due to coronavirus outbreak, both the refineries will down shutters thus affecting supplies.
All the vessels carrying edible oil come from the nations hit by coronavirus outbreak. Now a 15-day quarantine is ordered for such vessels before they enter into the country.
Following this, the vessel rotations are slow and even the existing refineries are working with reduced capacities, he said.
“The import of RBD palmolein should be allowed, at least for actual users, so that the country is fully prepared to supply sufficient edible oil in any worst-case scenario during the Covid-19. Failing this, we will face severe edible oil shortage in the market,” he added.
In case of a clamp down, food processing industries must be exempted to avoid any shortage in the market, he added.
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