State govt plans oil palm cultivation in 20 lakh acres: Nirajan Reddy

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said the State government has chalked out plans to promote oil palm cultivation in 20 lakh acres against the Central government’s indicated potential area of 10.90 lakh acres in the State. Under this initiative, the State government signed pacts with 11 companies to take up oil palm area expansion […]

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said the State government has chalked out plans to promote oil palm cultivation in 20 lakh acres against the Central government’s indicated potential area of 10.90 lakh acres in the State.

Under this initiative, the State government signed pacts with 11 companies to take up oil palm area expansion in 26 districts. So far, these companies had established 28 nurseries to raise oil palm seed sprouts with a capacity to raise 2.25 crore seedlings per year, Niranjan Reddy said during question hour in the State Assembly here on Monday.

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The companies would be supplying the seedlings to farmers in the respective allotted zones. At present, there was no technology transfer and the seed sprouts had to be imported from Costa Rica, Thailand and other countries.

The companies had placed indents for import of 3.25 crore seeds sprouts. So far, 76.71 lakh seed sprouts have been received and this quantity would be sufficient to cover 1.18 lakh acres during 2022-23, the Minister said, replying to TRS legislator Balka Suman.

As part of oil palm cultivation, farmers can take up inter crop cultivation for three years. In the fourth year, the oil palm can be harvested and there would be buy-back guarantee by the companies, he said.

To promote oil palm cultivation under crop diversification, the government was extending subsidies for farmers. The cost to set up drip system in one acre was about Rs.20,000 and the Central government’s contribution was just Rs 6,000 and the remaining cost was being borne by the State government, he explained.

The Minister said the government would appeal to the Forest department to permit oil palm cultivation on Recognition of Forest Rights (ROFR) lands, besides digging borewells, if required as plantation would provide green cover in the State.

He further said an appeal would also be made to the Central government to sanction oil palm research centre to Telangana. In the past, a centre was set up in Pedavegi, West Godavari, in united Andhra Pradesh and post bifurcation, there was a need to set up one centre in Telangana, he added.