There are also various other areas in which favourable policies and modification of existing policies could benefit the mustard sector and catalyse its development. For instance, the recent introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has certain anomalies that are adversely affecting the interests of mustard oil manufacturers. The mustard business has a peculiarity that probably does not exist in any other business: The production of its by-product, in the form of mustard oilcake, is roughly three times the production of actual mustard oil. Maging this by-product is, therefore, a critical component of the mustard business. Most commonly, the mustard oilcake is sold as cattle-feed or is used in the production of cattle-feed formulations and hence it should be a tax free item under GST. To conclude, mustard is a vital Indian crop and mustard oil is an ancient, traditiol Indian product. Strategically devised government policies can, therefore, go a long way in benefiting millions of farmers, workers and consumers who are the real stakeholders in the country's mustard oil sector. As India continues to grapple with the demand-supply gap in edible oils, the time is right for putting mustard on the tiol agenda. (IANS)