Godrej Agrovet Launches High Yield Oil Palm Saplings for Farmers

Godrej Agrovet’s Oil Palm Plantation business has launched a new superior high yielding Oil Palm sapling raised out of semi clonal seeds sourced from Malaysia. These saplings were distributed to the farmers under the Godrej Agrovet factory zone in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. 

Oil Palm is the most productive edible oil yielding plant in the world and plays a vital role in meeting the vegetable oil requirement of India. However, farmers are unable to maintain the return on investment levels of the past due to relatively low yields of existing saplings (Tenera Hybrids) compounded by environmental stress like low rainfall, drought etc. The new variety will play a vital role in meeting the vegetable oil demand in India by overcoming these challenges. 

While the existing Tenera saplings have the genetic potential to yield 34 to 35 tons of Fresh Fruits Bunches (FFB) per hectare, the new high yielding saplings can potentially yield 37 to 38 tons of FFB per hectare. The new variety also has other benefits. For instance, small frond petioles are more effective for easy harvesting and more efficient planting (148 seedlings per hectare against 143 of the existing variety). They have slow height increment and reaches a height of 325 cm, as compared to 390 cm of the older Tenera Hybrid saplings after 11 years of planting, which in turn, enhances the ease of harvesting. 

Nasim Ali, CEO of Oil Palm Plantation, Godrej Agrovet said, “Agricultural issues created by environmental stress have been directly impacting the farmer’s earnings. Godrej Agrovet has been a frontrunner in serving the Indian farmers for three decades now and will continue to provide innovative solutions. We are expecting to bring around 160 to 170 hectares area under the new variety of the oil palm saplings during October and November 2020 in Andhra Pradesh.”  

Chiranjiv Chaudhary, IFS, Commissioner of Horticulture, Government of Andhra Pradesh commented, “I congratulate Godrej Agrovet on the  occasion of release of semi clonal high yielding variety seedlings of Oil Palm. It would be immensely useful to the farmers of Andhra Pradesh being the largest producer of Oil palm as well as to the farmers of other states in the country as Godrej Agrovet has pan India presence.” 

Dr R K Mathur, Director, ICAR- IIOPR (Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research),AP said, “Oil Palm is a perennial crop and the returns from oil palm plantation is higher as compared to other oil seeds. The saplings of high yielding variety from Godrej Agrovet may improve the farmer’s income and thus contribute towards self-reliance in edible oil sector.”   

The new variety of high yield oil palm saplings will eventually be available to Oil Palm farmers and growers pan India, with special focus on Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, Mizoram and Goa.