Taking all steps to encourage oil palm cultivation: Mahabubabad Collector

Mahabubabad: District Collector K Shashanka said they were taking all steps to encourage oil palm cultivation in the district by conducting awareness campaigns. “While the target for the year 2022-23 is 6,710 acres, oil palm was cultivated in 2,545 acres so far,” he told Telangana Today. “In the year 2020-21, 54 farmers took up cultivation […]

Mahabubabad: District Collector K Shashanka said they were taking all steps to encourage oil palm cultivation in the district by conducting awareness campaigns. “While the target for the year 2022-23 is 6,710 acres, oil palm was cultivated in 2,545 acres so far,” he told Telangana Today.

“In the year 2020-21, 54 farmers took up cultivation of oil farm in 305 acres, while 128 farmers cultivated the oil farm in 701 acres in 2021-22,” he said, adding that he had directed horticulture officials to encourage farmers to take up cultivation on a large scale and achieve the target in this financial year.

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He said oil farm cultivation would provide assured income unlike other crops. He also said there would be no issue of monkey menace to the oil farm plantations too. Referring to the government’s aid, the Collector said intercropping could be done for three years since the plantation of the oil palm saplings and Rs 21,000 would be given as subsidy to the farmers.

“The farmers from the SC or ST community can get 90 percent subsidy on the drip irrigation facility for the oil palm plantation,” he added.