STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The National Mission on Edible Oil- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) with a total outlay of Rs 11,040 crore will bring an additional area of 6.5 lakh hectares under palm oil plantation with 3.28 lakh hectares in Northeastern states and 3.22 hectares in the rest of the country in next five years, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar said here on Tuesday.
NMEO-OP is a new centrally-sponsored scheme cleared by the Union Cabinet on August 18 this year. It is proposed to have an additional 6.5 lakh hectares for palm oil by 2025-26. It will involve raising the area under oil palm cultivation to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 16.7 lakh hectares by 2029-30.
Addressing as the chief guest at the business summit on National Mission on Edible Oil- Oil Palm at Hotel Vivanta by Taj here, Tomar asserted that the Centre's decision for making major intervention in Northeastern states for oil palm promotion will turn the region into oil palm hub of the country.
Tomar emphasized playing an equal role for the development of the crop and assured to make major investments for seed nurseries, drip irrigation, technical back up, setting up of mills, purchase centres and training of farmers.
"Special package and assistance for the Northeast will change the socio-economic status of the farmers and will open employment opportunities in the established oil palm mills along with infrastructure development," he said.
The Union Minister also said that the business summit has been aimed at exploring the target of area expansion, seedling requirement fixed for different states through processors, details of viability gap payment, interventions and assistance under the mission.
Tomar thanked the Assam Government for providing logistical support and mentioned that the new scheme would definitely pave the way towards self-sufficiency in edible oils and put India on the road of Aatmarnirbharata.
He stated that the government is committed to protecting the oil palm farmers through price assurance and was happy to see the huge turnout for the summit.
Tomar said that under the Mission Oil Palm farmers will get assured price and assistance.
Addressing the summit Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), G Kishan Reddy appreciated the vision of the Union government for coming up with the very well-planned edible palm oil scheme.
Reddy said that the Union government is committed to the development of the oil palm sector and requested investors and industrialists to invest in the Northeast that has immense potentials for the agricultural sector, especially palm oil.
In his speech, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that it was time for investors to come and invest in the Northeast in a big way to develop the agriculture sector, taking advantage of fertile lands and climate. Palm oil holds special significance as its cultivation can open up untapped avenues of earning for the farmers here, he said.
Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said that at present farmers in Goalpara and Kamrup are engaged in oil palm cultivation while there is a plan of bringing 1,500 hectares of lands in 17 other districts under palm oil cultivation.
Sikkim Agriculture Minister Loknath Sharma, Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Principal Secretaries of Shubha Thakur, Union Joint Secretary and other officials of the state governments, officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, NITI Ayog, ICAR institutions, MEA, Vice-Chancellors, officers from SBI and Indian Tea Association (ITA), leading processors from oil palm industry, progressive farmers and potential investors from the agri-business trade were present in the summit.
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