‘Telangana to increase oil palm cultivation to 20 lakh acres’

Oil palm crop was cultivated in just 45,000 acres in 2014. To reach the goal by 2028, the government was giving various incentives to farmers, State Election Commissioner C Partha Sarathi said

Siddipet: State Election Commissioner (SEC) C Partha Sarathi said oil palm cultivation would become the backbone for revenue being generated from agriculture in the State.

Addressing the second day of a two-day workshop on oil palm cultivation at Sri Konda Lakshman Bapuji Telangana State Horticulture University at Mulugu in Siddipet on Thursday, Partha Sarathi, who worked as Agriculture Secretary earlier, said the State government was planning to increase the area under oil palm cultivation to 20 lakh acres from the current two lakh acres over the next five years. Oil palm crop was cultivated in just 45,000 acres in 2014. To reach the goal by 2028, the government was giving various incentives to farmers.

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Stating that oil palm was in great demand in India and other countries, he said oil palm was being used in 200 different industries as oil, cosmetics, factory lubricants, soaps, candles, and others. Stating that 65 percent of oil used in kitchens is palm oil in India, he said India was importing a huge amount of palm oil at the expense of foreign exchange reserves. Telangana’s farmers could save a huge amount of foreign exchange reserves if they cultivate oil palm, he said, adding that the State government was setting up 14 oil palm industries across the State.

The farmers, who could get their money within a week after selling their produce because these industries were being run by the Oil Fed, could earn up to 1.45 lakh profit on each acre of oil palm.

Horticulture Commissioner M Hanumantha Rao, University Vice-Chancellor Girija Prabhakar, Horticulture Advisor Srinivas Rao and others were present.