GUWAHATI, Oct 5: Union minister of agriculture and farmers welfare Narendra Singh Tomar asserted that the central government’s decision to make major interventions in the North-eastern states for oil palm promotion will turn the region into an oil palm hub of the country.
Addressing the National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm Business Summit for North Eastern States here on Tuesday, Tomar emphasised on playing an equal role for the development of the crop and assured to make major investments for seed nursery, drip irrigation, technical back up, setting of mills, purchase centers and training of farmers.
“Special package and assistance for the North-eastern states 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 informed that the business summit aimed to explore the target of area expansion, seedling requirements fixed for different states through processors, details of viability gap payment, interventions and assistance under the mission.
Tomar informed that the mission with a total outlay of Rs 11040 crore would bring additional area of 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm plantation with 3.28 lakh hectares in the Northeastern states and 3.22 hectares in the rest of India in the next five years.
The Union agriculture minister thanked the Assam government for providing logistics support, stating that the new scheme will definitely pave the way towards self-sufficiency in edible oils and put India on the path of self-reliance.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to protect the oil palm farmers through the price assurance, Tomar assured that under the Mission, oil palm farmers would be provided the requisite assistance.