The horticulture department has adopted new approaches for cultivating oil palm. This includes isolation and selection of new high yielding variety of seedlings. The department has introduced a new high yielding variety ‘Taraka’ developed in its laboratory at H D Kote in Mysore district. The new variety has proven itself with an average yield of 35 tonnes per annum over the last 15 years of research, he said.

Presently, the existing varieties yield an average of 20 tonnes per annum in many areas. The department planned to distribute 600,000 seedlings during the year in 94 taluks in 19 districts at a subsidised rate.

The department will give subsidy of up to Rs 7,500 per hectare per farmer on planting material. Over four years, each farmer is entitled to a subsidy of Rs 15,500 on the cost of cultivation. The oil palm trees start bearing fruits from the fifth year onwards, Maheshwar told Business Standard.

“The second phase of oil palm has begun. Marketing, the most important factor for the crop, is built into the programme. We have enabled five entrepreneurs to set up processing units in the state,” Maheshwar said.

He said that for the first time the department has taken the help of the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Application Centre for sourcing satellite images on the availability of water in various command areas. “The satellite images will help us identify the suitable places for cultivating oil palm. Using the data we have formed self-help groups of farmers and have encouraged them to take up the cultivation of oil palm,” he said.

During the present year, the department plans to form 100 groups of farmers and assist them to take up oil palm cultivation, he added. THE END

Source: Business Standard