Massive potential for oil palm crop in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana is poised to become one of the largest cultivators for oil palm cultivation in the country due to availability of fertile land and favorable conditions for growing this crop on a large scale, said Sanjay Goenka, MD & CEO of 3F Oil Palm Pvt Ltd.

He said that the multiple irrigation projects in the State have contributed to improved irrigatable conditions making Telangana a prominent State for oil palm plantation and processing activities. "Oil palm is a very versatile crop and has multiple benefits for farmers, it gives the highest yields and returns per acre compared to most commercial crops," Goenka explained. Currently, oil palm is being grown in only 4 districts (Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam, Bhadradri) of Telangana and is cultivated in about 45,000 acres producing 30,000 tons of crude palm oil.

Telangana's current edible oil requirement is around 4 lakh tons per annum. The deficit can easily be fulfilled by cultivating just 2 lakh acres of land resulting in 5-7 lakh tons of palm oil being produced, Goenka said that Telangana has the potential as the first State to emerge as a self-reliant State in its edible oil requirements. The State has a potential to increase the cultivable land to 7 lakh acres and the government has identified 25 districts including the existing four districts, which have the potential to grow oil palm in the State. It is also necessary for the oil palm crop to be processed within 24 hours from its harvesting. This will help ensure investments in the rural area as the processing units need to be located closer to the plantations, and in turn increased employment opportunities and development of the region, Goenka added.