Dimapur: Nagaland has launched a large-scale oil palm plantation initiative in response to the Centre’s allocation of over Rs 11,000 crore to promote palm oil production.
The campaign was inaugurated by Mhathung Yanthan, the agriculture minister’s advisor, at the Agri Expo site in Chumoukedima district. The campaign’s significance was underscored by its potential impact at a national level.
While addressing the concerns associated with oil palm plantations from an environmental perspective, Yanthan urged farmers and the agriculture department to take on the challenge and put genuine efforts into becoming skilled oil palm cultivators.
Swamani Dutta, head of marketing development at Godrej, assured the provision of necessary resources such as fertilisers, pesticides and farming equipment in the coming months. Additionally, a ‘samadhran centre’ is planned to be established in Dimapur.
Following the launch of the initiative, the Naga Students’ Federation expressed apprehensions regarding the potential long-term negative impacts of commercial oil palm cultivation on the state’s health, forests, biodiversity and soil quality.
The federation pointed out that Nagaland currently has 5,423 hectares under oil palm cultivation across seven districts and the government is making efforts to expand this area.
The federation urged the agriculture department to exercise caution while promoting the economic benefits of oil palm plantation considering the potential ecological consequences.
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