Collector Janmejay Mahobe interacting with farmers during oil palm plantation inspection at Sonthi village in Bamhnidih block, Janjgir-Champa.
🌴 Government subsidy to cover plantation and irrigation cost
🌴500 hectares targeted under oil palm cultivation in district
🌴Crop ensures 25–30 years of sustained returns
By : Akshay Lahre
Janjgir : Collector Janmejay Mahobe visited oil palm fields at Sonthi village in Bamhnidih development block of Janjgir-Champa district, underlining the crop’s potential to provide long-term income security to farmers. During the inspection, he interacted with cultivators and highlighted that oil palm could emerge as a dependable source of sustained earnings if adopted widely. He pointed out that both the Union and State Governments are jointly facilitating free sapling distribution, irrigation support, technical guidance and subsidies to promote this high-value plantation crop.
The Collector motivated farmers to embrace oil palm under a special campaign, emphasising that intercropping in the initial years would help them maintain their income till palms begin yielding. He directed the Horticulture and Agriculture Departments to extend maximum assistance and involve women self-help groups (SHGs) in allied livelihood activities, ensuring training and skill support to build self-reliance.
The field inspection was attended by Deputy Director of Agriculture Lalit Mohan Bhagat, Assistant Director of Horticulture Ranjana Makheeja, progressive farmer Purushottam Sharma, Krishi Vigyan Kendra in-charge Khema Das Mahant, Chudamani Rathore, Dharampal Rathore, officials of Agriculture Department, local farmers and SHG members.
Assistant Director of Horticulture informed that a target of 500 hectares has been fixed for oil palm cultivation in the district. Under the plan, each hectare receives 143 saplings valued at Rs 29,000 free of cost. The total expenditure per hectare, including plantation, fencing, irrigation and intercrop management, is about Rs 4 lakh, against which the Union Government provides Rs 1.30 lakh subsidy and the State Government Rs 1.29 lakh subsidy. Additional assistance is extended for intercrops, borewells, pump sets, water harvesting systems and vermi-compost units.
Officials explained that oil palm begins yielding from the third year onwards and remains productive for nearly three decades. With an average annual yield of 20 tonnes per hectare, farmers can potentially earn Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh per annum, ensuring a sustainable economic model. “The crop’s resilience and assured returns can transform farm income in Janjgir-Champa, provided farmers adopt it on a larger scale,” the officials stressed.
