Oil palm plants being planted across 7000 hectares in 11 states

In 11 states, oil palm saplings are being planted over an area of 7000 hectares. The largest area for this purpose is with these states. As part of the mega planting campaign to enhance the oil palm production sector, major oil palm producing states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Goa, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh have initiated the Mega Plantation Campaign. This campaign is set to continue until August 12, 2023. According to information provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, this campaign will cover approximately 7000 hectares. The goal is to cover more than 6500 hectares, primarily by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

As per the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, the central government launched the National Food Oil Mission - Oil Palm in August 2021 with the aim of expanding the oil palm production area up to 1 million hectares and increasing the production of crude palm oil to 1.12 million tons by the year 2025-26.

The ministry states that, in addition to this, the mission is successfully reducing the burden of imports and moving India towards self-reliance by significantly increasing the production of edible oils. Under this mission, state governments, in collaboration with oil palm processing companies, initiated a Mega Oil Palm Plantation Campaign from July 25, 2023. The three major oil palm processing companies, namely Patanjali Food Private Limited, Godrej Agrovet, and 3F Industries, are actively partnering with farmers to increase the oil palm cultivation area to record levels in their respective states.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in the northeastern states such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, and Nagaland, the campaign started on July 27, 2023, and will continue until August 12, 2023. During this period, plantation will be carried out over more than 750 hectares in 19 districts.

The Assam government aims to promote oil palm cultivation over an area of more than 75 hectares across eight districts during the Mega Plantation Campaign, which was conducted from July 27, 2023, to August 5, 2023. Companies participating in this campaign in the state include Godrej Agrovet Limited, Patanjali Foods Private Limited, 3F Oil Palm Limited, and KEE Cultivations.

The Arunachal Pradesh government, during the campaign from July 29, 2023, to August 12, 2023, aims to promote oil palm plantation over an area of approximately 700 hectares across its fourteen districts. Companies participating in this campaign in the state include 3F Private Limited and Patanjali Foods Private Limited.