The mega oil plantation drive organized between July & August, 2023 witnessed participation from the North East (NE) states – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, and Nagaland. The recently organized mega oil plantation drive witnessed participation from the North East (NE) states, covering over 750 hectares in 19 districts. The drive aligns with the National Mission for Edible Oils- Oil Palm, which aims to increase crude palm oil production in India.
The Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) assessed that around 28 lakh hectares are suitable for oil palm cultivation, with 9.62 lakh in the NE States. Approximately 9 million metric tons of palm oil are imported annually, accounting for 56% of the total edible oil imports. To reduce India’s dependency on imports, ICAR-IIOPR is mandated to provide research on genetic resource management, crop improvement, and production technologies for enhancing oil palm productivity.
Oil palm is a high-yielding vegetable oil seed crop that can produce 4-5 tons per hectare and employ 11 million people in the region. It requires less water than sugarcane and paddy crops. Oil palm plantations provide year-round income through continuous fruiting, with proper irrigation and nutrient management achieving a fresh fruit bunch yield of 20 tons per hectare per year.Mr. Niyogi highlighted the water requirements for sugarcane and paddy cultivation, stating that sugarcane requires 133 Lakh Liters per ha., while oil palm plantation requires only 93 Lakh Liters per ha. He stressed the importance of proper irrigation facilities for judicious water usage.
