India, May 12 -- Edible oil industry body SEA welcomed the Prime Minister's appeal to people for using less cooking oils, saying this will help reduce import dependence and save foreign exchange.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for reducing the consumption of edible oil, lowering the use of chemical fertilisers, promoting natural farming and Swadeshi products to save foreign exchange and make the country self-reliant.

In a statement on Monday, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said the Prime Minister's appeal on controlling edible oil consumption carries far deeper economic and strategic significance than many may realise.

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