KHAMMAM: Telangana is becoming a destination for oil palm farming. Currently, oil palm cultivation is being taken up in Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Nalgonda and Suryapet districts. While there is a demand for 4 lakh tonnes of crude palm oil every year, production is only 30,000 tonnes. The government is planning to bridge the gap by encouraging cultivation in 2 lakh acres.
The State government is pushing to cultivate oil palm in over 7 lakh acres and increase production capacity to 15 lakh metric tonnes, following which Telangana will become self-sufficient in edible oils and lead to thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the State.
The State government is encouraging farmers as it gives the highest yields and returns per acre when compared to other commercial crops. It is being cultivated in 45,000 acres, from which 30,000 tonnes of crude palm oil is being produced.
Cultivating it in 2 lakh acres more will make Telangana the first State to become self-reliant in its edible oil requirements. The government has identified 25 districts, including the existing four districts, which have the potential to grow oil palm.
3F Oil Palm CEO Sanjay Goenka said, "By reaching the targeted 7 lakh acres, Telangana will be in a position to generate additional revenues by selling the surplus produce to other States. Palm oil is a very versatile and affordable oil simply because of its high productivity. This will hugely benefit the farmers."