Oil Palm Farming: To give a direction to agriculture in the district, the Horticulture Department is promoting the cultivation of oil palm on a large scale. To provide more benefits to the farmers in the district by taking them out of the limited income from farming of traditional crops, the Central and State Governments are jointly giving extensive grants. Due to this scheme, not only the farmers’ costs are being halved, but they are also getting facilities for market sales. Meanwhile, Horticulture Officer Ranjana Makhija said that it is capable of giving a new direction to oil palm agriculture in the district and it will prove to be a strong source of continuous income for the farmers in the coming years.
District Horticulture Officer Ranjana Makhija said that a target of 100 hectares has been set in Janjgir-Champa district, out of which till now oil palm has been planted in 64 hectares. He told that to promote oil palm cultivation, the central and state governments are also giving grants to the farmers. In which the planting material, which costs around Rs 29,000, is being given to the farmers in full grant amount. If farmers want to build a borewell, then a grant of Rs 50,000 is given for it, Rs 25,000 for pump set, Rs 5,250 for intercropping and Rs 5,250 for pit construction and maintenance. Along with this, farmers are being given assistance up to Rs 14,000 for drip irrigation. Overall, about 50% of the farmers’ costs are being borne by the government.
He told that if the total cost of one hectare is considered to be around Rs 3 lakh, then farmers are getting assistance of more than Rs 1 lakh 30,000, apart from this, top-up assistance of Rs 54,000 is also proposed for setting up fencing.
The horticulture officer said that the production of oil palm crop starts from the fourth year, for this the district has an agreement with Godrej Agrovet Company, which will buy the product from the farmers as per the market rate, this price cannot be less than Rs 14.40 per kg, currently the market rate is Rs 18 per kg. In such a situation, farmers do not have to worry about marketing.
At the same time, farmers can get an annual income of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh from one hectare of oil palm. In the first three years, when the tree does not yield production, farmers can earn good income by intercropping. If they plant grafted brinjal, vegetable, banana or papaya, then an income of up to Rs 5 lakh is possible in three years. After the tree grows, farmers can take shade-loving crops like turmeric, ginger, which can give them an additional income of Rs 1.5-2 lakh.
How to apply for oil palm
Ranjana Makhija told that oil palm crop is very good for vacant land and many farmers are now leaving paddy and getting attracted towards it. In one hectare, 143 plants are planted in a triangular pattern. After the application is approved, the team of Horticulture Department prepares the layout and foreign varieties of plants are made available through the company. Its first six months are very important, in which complete training on irrigation, fertilizer and drip management is given to the farmers and by getting consultation and technical assistance, farmers can easily start oil palm cultivation.
