The Agriculture Department is eyeing the possibility of increasing the area under palm oil cultivation in the state.
In a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar earlier this week, the state had sought support for expansion of palm oil cultivation in all districts under the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), Agriculture Minister P. Prasad said.
“The Center had agreed to cultivate palm oil in 6,500 hectares in eight districts. We have informed the Center that all the 14 districts have capacity,” said Mr. Prasad.
seed garden
Additionally, the state had requested support for setting up a second seed garden to ensure availability of quality planting material, Mr. Prasad said.
“We have a seed garden in Thodupuzha which produces 10 lakh sprouts. The state has requested for one more seed garden in the state,” he said.
Presently, Oil Palm India grows palm oil in Yerur, Chitara and Kulathupuzha in Kollam district. The Plantation Corporation also has palm oil plantations in Thrissur district.
new mission
The state has expressed its keenness at a time when the pros and cons of the new palm oil mission announced by the Narendra Modi government are being hotly debated.
In mid-August, the Union Cabinet had given its approval to the new Rs 11,040 crore National Mission on Edible Oils – Palm Oil (NMEO-OP). While the stated objective is to reduce dependence on edible oil imports, the mission has drawn criticism on the grounds that palm oil monoculture could spell disaster for the biodiversity-rich North-East region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to NMEO. There are two focus areas. -OP.