Moa Jamir
Dimapur | August 30
Oil Palm plantation, a comparatively a new crop in India, is increasing at a rapid pace in Nagaland starting with an area of mere 140 hectare (ha) in 2015-16 to 4,623 ha in 2020-21. The status is as of March 31, 2021.
The target for 2021-22 is another 1,100 ha, according to a Department of Agriculture (DoA) document, shared with The Morung Express. For the year 2021-22 the ministry has approved/allotted Rs 555.561 lakh (Central Share-Rs 500.00 lakh, State Share- Rs 55.561 lakh) for implementation of Oil Palm in the state with target area of 1,100 ha, it added.
The cultivation is currently being undertaken in the foothills of seven districts – Dimapur: Dimapur Sadar, Niuland, Medziphema; Peren: Jalukie; Wokha: Wokha Sadar, Baghty; Mokokchung: Mangkolemba, Tuli; Longleng: Longleng Sadar; Kohima-:Tseminyu; and Mon: Tizit.
Dimapur district led the coverage with combine area of 1,679 ha, followed by 846 ha in Wokha; Jalukie (762ha), Mokokchung (753ha), Mon (460ha), Kohima and Longleng (58 ha).
Oil palm cultivation gained prominence in Nagaland with the launch of the National Mission on Oilseed and Oil Palm (NMOOP) during 2014-15 by the Government of India (GoI) with an aim to boost the production of oilseeds in the country.
Information on the DoA website highlighted that it was under ‘Mini Mission II’ under NMOOP. “There is an urgent need to intensify efforts for area expansion under oil palm, highest vegetable oil yielding perennial crop, to enhance palm oil production in the country,” it stated.
The same was reiterated in a recent DoA’s document which also stated there is a potential of achieving “20-30 MT (Metric Tonne) of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FBBs)” per hectare (ha) a year after attaining age of 5 years.
Out of 4,623 ha, a total of 390 ha are producing FBBs, it said, adding that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Shivasais Oil Palm Pvt Ltd, which has assured to start procuring the FBBs.
Except in Medziphema and Tseminyu, where plantation started respectively in 2017-18 and 2018-19, all other areas have started bearing FBBS.
According to DoA, the State Government has set a target of 15,000 ha for the state covering foot hills area of Dimapur, Niuland, Jalukie, Baghty, Tuli and Tizit, and “detail Physical and Financial action Plan will be prepare after the received of Operational guidelines.”
“Setting up of industries for extraction and processing of palm oil the land may be Government or in partnership with the private land owner,” it added.
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