Telangana to achieve oil palm cultivation target by March: Niranjan Reddy

S Niranjan Reddy said the State government would achieve the target of oil palm cultivation in one lakh acres in the State by this March

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said the State government would achieve the target of oil palm cultivation in one lakh acres in the State by this March.

Till date, this year oil palm cultivation was taken up in 62,300 acres. Initially, the target was to achieve oil palm cultivation in 1.75 lakh acres but due to extensive rains last monsoon, the target was modified to one lakh acres, he said in the Assembly here on Friday.

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Considering large scale benefits for farmers, Telangana government was promoting oil palm cultivation extensively in the State. Towards this, drip, plant material and other assistance was being extended to the farmers.

In the entire country, Telangana leads in oil palm cultivation with 68 per cent and in rest of the country, it was just 32 per cent. Similarly, oil extraction rate from oil palm was 19.32 per cent, which was highest in the country, the Minister said.

Against the country’s edible oil requirement of 26 lakh metric tonnes, only 15 lakh metric tonnes was being produced, he added.