BELGAUM: The Oil Palm Project, jointly implimented by the horticulture department and Godrej Agrovet Ltd (GAL), is getting good response from the farmers of Belgaum district.
So far, about 2,460-hectare area has come under oil palm cultivation, and it is increasing by the day. The project was initiated in 2004-05 with an initial plantation area of 194 hectares. Since then, the area coming under palm cultivation is increasing steadily, with large number of farmers taking up the commercial crop "known to give regular income for less investment".
"The crop turned out to be 'Kamadhenu' (profitable) for me," said Purushottam Nadagouda, a farmer of Kundargi in Gokak taluk. He has been cultivating oil palm at his one-acre land since 2007-08, and earning about Rs 60,000 annually. So far, he has spent about Rs 11,000 for cultivation, including for plantation and harvesting.
GAL gives technical support and training to oil palm growers and buys back fresh fruit bunches of the produce from them, paying them a sum fixed by Price Fixation Committee of the government. GAL office bearer M N Narasimha said that the Central government has implemented the project in 12 states, including Karnataka. It aims at extending oil palm cultivation to 60,000 hectares by 2011-12.
The government has also announced various subsidies for oil palm growers for planting, buying pump set and drip-irrigation system, compensation in case of loss during the gestation period, and support for inter-cropping, digging borewells or tanks under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna.
The country produces about 27.73 million tonnes of oil seeds, which give about 7 million tonnes of vegetable oil. But still, the yield is not sufficient to meet the country's demand. In 2008-09 and 2009-10, India imported about 8.6 million tonnes of vegetable oil and fat, GAL sources said.
So far, about 2,460-hectare area has come under oil palm cultivation, and it is increasing by the day. The project was initiated in 2004-05 with an initial plantation area of 194 hectares. Since then, the area coming under palm cultivation is increasing steadily, with large number of farmers taking up the commercial crop "known to give regular income for less investment".
"The crop turned out to be 'Kamadhenu' (profitable) for me," said Purushottam Nadagouda, a farmer of Kundargi in Gokak taluk. He has been cultivating oil palm at his one-acre land since 2007-08, and earning about Rs 60,000 annually. So far, he has spent about Rs 11,000 for cultivation, including for plantation and harvesting.
GAL gives technical support and training to oil palm growers and buys back fresh fruit bunches of the produce from them, paying them a sum fixed by Price Fixation Committee of the government. GAL office bearer M N Narasimha said that the Central government has implemented the project in 12 states, including Karnataka. It aims at extending oil palm cultivation to 60,000 hectares by 2011-12.
The government has also announced various subsidies for oil palm growers for planting, buying pump set and drip-irrigation system, compensation in case of loss during the gestation period, and support for inter-cropping, digging borewells or tanks under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna.
The country produces about 27.73 million tonnes of oil seeds, which give about 7 million tonnes of vegetable oil. But still, the yield is not sufficient to meet the country's demand. In 2008-09 and 2009-10, India imported about 8.6 million tonnes of vegetable oil and fat, GAL sources said.
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