Question : Oil Palm Area Expansion

(a) whether the Government has launched a special programme on Oil Palm Area Expansion (OPAE) in the country including Tamil Nadu;

(b) the targets and achievements made under the OPAE in the country during each of the last three years and the current year;

(c) whether any study was carried out to find out the profitability of oil-palm cultivation by farmers in the country particularly for those farmers who ventured in oil palm cultivation under OPAE and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the plan outlay for the programme during the remaining period of the 12th Five Year Plan?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a): Yes, Madam. Government launched Oil Palm Area Expansion (OPAE) in 2011-12 in eight States including Tamil Nadu.

(b): OPAE was implemented from 2011-12 to 2013-14 and was merged into National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) from 2014-15. Oil palm area expansion targets & achievements made under OPAE and NMOOP are given below:

(Area in ha)
Year OPAE NMOOP
Tar. Ach. Tar. Ach.
2011-12 60,000 28,288 - -
2012-13 49,682 26,121 - -
2013-14 42,297 22,894 - -
2014-15 - - 28,146 17,671
2015-16 (up to December, 2015) - - 26,957 12,559

(c): Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) has estimated cost of palm cultivation at Rs. 6936 per tonne of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) during stabilised yield period. Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has estimated cost of palm cultivation at Rs. 5633 per tonne of FFBs. The profitability of oil palm cultivation depends upon price of fresh fruit bunches realised which is linked to market price of crude palm oil (CPO) and age of the plantation. The market price of CPO varies over time.

(d): The approved outlay for oil palm programme during terminal year of the XIIth Five Year Plan (2016-17) is Rs. 222.70 crore.
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