Govt Mulls Adding Soymeal to Bharat Atta
14-Aug-2025 12:19 PM
New Delhi. The central government is considering the option of mixing soymeal with Bharat Atta, which can help in achieving two objectives.
Firstly, protein will be supplied to the vast population of the country and secondly, a new area will be found to increase the domestic demand and consumption of soymeal, which will provide relief to the industry.
Soymeal exports from India are declining and its surplus stock remains present in the domestic sector. An inter-ministerial panel has entrusted the government agency - NAFED with the responsibility of studying and analyzing its total cost and profitability.
It is understood that during the initial phase, mixing of 5 percent soymeal in flour can be allowed and after that further strategy will be made.
It is worth mentioning that soybean is the main oilseed crop of Kharif season and the central government is paying special attention to increasing its productivity to achieve its production target set under the National Oil Seeds Mission.
If soybean is mixed in Bharat Atta, then processors will get a great opportunity to sell their product and indirectly it will have a positive impact on the price of soybean. This will encourage farmers to increase production.
Soybean is an oilseed crop rich in protein. During crushing-processing, 18-20 percent edible oil and 80-82 percent oil meal is produced from it.
Usually soymeal is used in the production of animal feed and poultry feed, while a small amount is also used for direct human consumption.
Millers get 35-40 percent income from soybean oil and 60-65 percent from soymeal. As a result, if millers get an opportunity to sell soymeal at a higher price, then they can purchase soybean from farmers at a higher price. Along with this, increasing the use of food products made from soybean will be in everyone's interest.
Since Bharat Atta is being sold by government agencies at a subsidized price of Rs 30 per kg, the government is considering mixing soymeal in it. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also approves it.