Dignitaries and others during flagging off of the first oil palm harvest in Nagaland from Wokha district on May 23.
Kohima, May 23 (MExN): The first buy back of FFBs (Fresh Fruit Bunches) of oil palm by Godrej Agrovet Private Limited (GAVL) for the year 2024 and the first oil palm harvests for Wokha district was flagged off today by Nagaland’s Agriculture Director M Ben Yanthan, along with Z Hukhato Sema, Joint Director of Agriculture (NMEO-Oil Palm) and L. Sunep Pongener, District Agriculture Officer, Wokha at APMC compound Wokha.
During the flagging off programme, Yanthan said that the department was practically experiencing the fulfillment of the pre conditions laid by starting the buy back of the FFBs which is a red letter day for the oil palm farmers and the department too. He said that the buy-back will be a continuous process.
Yanthan said the Department of agriculture is taking serious note on the grievances on the plight of the oil palm farmers of Nagaland, and initiated efforts to establish the necessary infrastructures for buy back of FFBs with the previous implementing partners. However, it could not materialise and unfortunately terminate the association legally with the company following due process.
He also said that in the larger interest of the farming community of the state and the oil palm farmers in particular, department had decided to engage reputed companies for oil palm programmes and that’s how the department inked an MoU with the Godrej Agrovet private Ltd (GAVL) through an Expression of Interest for Zone 1 on the 9th of January 2023 and as per the clause 4 of the MoU, the company that means the Second Party shall also within 60 days from execution of MoU establish Oil Palm nursery(s) within zone-I to enable distribution of Oil Palm sapling as per proposed target of Zone-l.
This clause has been fulfilled as it has now two nursery-one at Jalukie and the other at Niuland, he added.
Further, he also said that department laid a pre requisite to the company for signing the MoU that they had to buy back FFBs of the old plantations which they agreed upon and accordingly of the MoU states that “The Second Party besides taking up new area expansion shall also immediately adopt all existing Oil palm plantation and proceed purchase of FFBs produced in the adopted plantation within the allotted zone on buyback mode” .
Further, Yanthan congratulated the GAVL for their sincere efforts towards the objectives at the earliest.
Later, the department officials and staffs had also an interaction session on regards to the ongoing buy back process.
While around 5MT Oil Palm harvested in Wokha area, it was buy back by GAVL Oil palm processing mill at Kolasib, Mizoram.
