Around 28,091 patents granted till March 15 in current fiscal year

New Delhi: As many as 28,091 patents were granted as of March 15 in this fiscal compared to 28,391 in 2020-21, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash also informed that 15,283 patents were granted in 2018-19.

Replying to another question on edible oil, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that India is the largest importer of palm oil in the world. India's import of edible oils stood at 1,35,40,020.94 tonnes in 2020-21.

At present, adherence to the NDPE (No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation) policy is not mandatory for the import of palm oil into India, he said. However, both Malaysia and Indonesia, which are the major suppliers of palm oil to India, have certification schemes to promote sustainability in palm oil

production.