Tinsukia (Assam), Aug 8 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the state government has launched a mega oil-palm plantation exercise to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of self-reliance in the production of edible oils.
Oil palm plantation will revolutionise agro-economy as farmers are keen to adopt the new crop to boost their income, he said after launching the cultivation programme here.
“Assam today joined this vital movement from Tinsukia district with a goal to bring 3.75 lakh hectare area under cultivation of oil palm”, Sarma said.
To ensure the success of this initiative, the Assam government has entered into a partnership with Patanjali Food Limited (PFL). This collaboration entails the development of palm oil plantations across seven districts, namely Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), and Goalpa.
Founder of Patanjali food ltd. Ramdev announced plans to establish 16 nurseries by the following year, facilitating the supply of high-quality seeds to farmers. Of these, 12 nurseries are scheduled to be set up across the seven districts within the current year, with an additional four nurseries planned for the subsequent year. Further demonstrating its commitment, PFL intends to establish an oil palm processing facility in Dhing, situated in the Nagaon district.
The chief minister and Ramdev planted oil palm saplings to mark the beginning of the mega plantation exercise.