Godrej expounds Nagaland’s immense oil palm potential

August 5, 2023 30 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 5

The state of Nagaland, particularly in regard to the foothill regions of Dimapur, Niuland, Peren, Chümoukedima, Wokha, Mokokchung, Mon and Longleng, have immense potential for oil palm plantation, claimed Soumyadeep Dutta, Head of Market Development, Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL).

He observed that the state can do much better than Mizoram. “Mizoram because of its hilly terrain and non-usage of fertilizers and lack of irrigation facilities, the rate of production is less,” he said.

The Godrej representative was speaking on the sidelines of the Nagaland mega oil palm plantation drive organised by the Agriculture Departments at Angh House, Agri Expo, Chumoukedima on August 4. Advisor of Agriculture Mhathung Yanthan was invited as the special guest for the event.

At present, Nagaland has a total of 5423 hectares (Ha) under oil palm cultivation across seven districts. Under the National Mission of Edible Oils (NEMO) however, the government has its sights on expanding this further to 15,000 Ha in the coming years. In comparison, Mizoram state has a total of 26,680 Ha (as per June 2021) under cultivation with a potential to further expand it to 66,791 Ha, according to a report by its State Department of Agriculture.

More production tonnage required for setting up of processing unit
Dutta mentioned that Nagaland needed to produce about 5500-6500 Metric tonnes (MT) per annum for setting up of a processing plant. So far the state has managed to produce a total raw output material for oil palm or Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) of 7,533 MT.

He explained that the output requirement per Ha would have to be at least 5-6 MT to meet this desired goal. “In Nagaland as the districts that we got are relatively flat, production will be more,” he added.

Earlier this year, Godrej and Patanjali had signed separate MoUs with the state government for the development and area expansion under oil palm cultivation. Under this agreement, Zone-I (Peren, Chumoukedima, Dimapur, Niuland and Wokha districts) has been allotted to GAVL while Zone-II (Mokokchung, Mon and Longleng) will be under Patanjali.

Dutta mentioned, “We will be taking up new plantation areas because the existing areas are not in a very good shape.”

This was because the farmers had already disposed of the harvested FFBs and will require another three to four months for the produce to mature. “We have a target of about 400 Ha this year,” he reported.

Will remain committed for the next 25-30 years
During the programme, Dutta also assured the farmers to provide quality seedlings, technical assistance and knowledge with the help of experts from his company, minimum support price under NEMO and commitment to the MoU. “We will not leave or ditch you for the next 25-30 years, whatever new plantation will come up, we will stick by you,” he announced.

He added, “Very soon we will be setting up a one stop solution center for the oil palm farmers.”

It will provide technical assistance, knowledge sharing, fertilizers, pesticides and harvesting equipments. “In the two and a half months you will see the results,” he stated.

Compromises have to be made for economic benefit
Meanwhile Advisor of Agriculture Mhathung Yanthan during the programme remarked that although there were environmental concerns with regard to oil palm cultivation, compromises have to be made. “When we take up any developmental programme there will always be disadvantages especially in plantation,” he said.

“At first I was also personally reluctant about oil palm cultivation in Nagaland. However after seeing the hardships of the farmers, something needed to be done for their economic benefit,” he viewed.

With the coming of reputed companies such as Godrej, he guaranteed to the farmers of acceptable buy-back rates. He encouraged more farmers to cultivate oil palm. A sizable group of farmers should cultivate for successful production of oil palm in the state.

The event saw the participation of several farmers from Wokha, Chümoukedima, Peren and Niuland. Several of them took the time to share their personal grievances including the unavailability of buyers for their produce and lack of farming machinery.