AGARTALA, Nov 30: The Tripura government has set a target of
bringing 7000 hectares of land under palm oil cultivation by
2026-27 financial year, a senior minister has said.
At present, palm oil plants are cultivated in 56.35 hectares of
land in the Northeastern state.
“To expand palm oil cultivation in the state, digital mapping
was done in 2020 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR) and the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research. In the
process, 1,46,364 hectares of land were identified in the state.
“Of that, 7000 hectares of land would be brought under palm
oil cultivation by 2026-27,” Agriculture minister Ratan Lal Nath
said.
To tap the potential, the Agriculture department has signed
MoUs with Godrej Agrovet Ltd and Patanjali Food Private Ltd
under the National Mission on Edible Oil, he said.
Nath said Godrej Agrovet Ltd has set up a nursery at Nalkata in
Unakoti district.
“Godrej Agrovet has also brought palm plants from Andhra
Pradesh and planted them on 52.01 hectares of land. The
Patanjali Food Pvt Ltd has also planted palm plants in 56.35
hectares,” he said.
Claiming that the state has good potential in palm oil
cultivation, the minister said the state has already sent 18
officers to Andhra Pradesh to impart training on palm oil
cultivation.
“The department has already imparted training to 2123
farmers. Of them, 1076 have expressed interest in raising palm
oil plants for better return,” he said.
The oil seed is found from a palm tree four years after
plantation and farmers get it for 30 years.
“Since palm oil cultivation has potential in the hilly state, the
Agriculture department will leave no stone unturned to explore
the possibility. If the plan is successful, the farmers will be
benefited in future,” he said.
The major oil palm growing states include Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Goa, Assam,
Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cambodia and
Thailand produce 90 per cent of palm oil in the world, Nath
added. (PTI)
