Vijayawada: The 6th Cottonseed, Oil & Meal Conclave 2025, jointly organised by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) and the All-India Cottonseed Crushers’ Association (AICOSCA), began in the city on Saturday. The two-day event, themed “Revitalising Cottonseed: Growth Pathways for Oil, Meal and Beyond”, aims to explore the expanding role of cottonseed in India’s edible oil security, livestock nutrition, and rural economy.The event which was inaugurated by Ponnur MLA Dhulipalli Narendra drew over 300 delegates, including scientists, industry leaders, policymakers, and traders. Discussions covered a broad range of topics, including cotton cultivation, post-harvest management, oil extraction innovations, feed formulation, branding, risk management, and future market prospects.The event comes at a time when India’s cotton acreage dropped by 9.8% in 2024–25, prompting calls to maximise the value of cottonseed by-products. Experts also emphasised the need to shift from manual to mechanised cotton production and processing to improve efficiency and reduce losses.Key speakers included SEA vice president Angshu Mallick, AICOSCA chairman Sandeep Bajoria, vice-chairman P Veera Narayana, and ICAR-CIRCOT Director Dr SK Shukla. Discussions highlighted that while India currently produces 11.5–12 lakh tonnes of cottonseed oil annually, the potential stands at 18 lakh tonnes—critical to reducing edible oil imports.The conclave also hosted the Shri Nilesh Patel Innovation Awards to recognise scientific advancements that promote sustainability and value-added cottonseed products.
