[ Prafulla Kaman ]
NIGLOK, 7 Dec: The palm oil processing plant set up by Patanjali Food Limited at the Industrial Growth Centre (IGC) here in East Siang district has started operation.Patanjali Foods Ltd has been running the processing plant since last month on a trial basis.
The farm manager informed that the factory has a capacity to crush 100 tonnes of fresh bunches of oil palm per day, which would be increased after a few months.
The oil palm farmers have been selling their palm fruits to the company for the last two years, owing to their earlier agreement, as almost all the palm trees in their gardens started producing fruits.
“Our farmers are getting regular income from the oil palm gardens. My oil palm garden, covering one hectare area,gives average 60 quintals production per year and I have been earning Rs 90,000 (@ Rs 15 per kg fruit every year,” progressive farmer of Ngorlung Jiten Taying (Yiijur), said.
Earlier, the farmers used to sell their palm fruits to the Patanjali Oil factory in Andhra Pradesh.
It may be recalled that the oil palm cultivation project in the district was introduced in April 2016, after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the state government and Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd (presently known as Patanjali Food Ltd) to promote oil palm cultivation in the district.
Initially, oil palms were planted in 230 hectares of barren land in Pasighat, Mebo, Sille-Oyan, Ruksin and Bilat. Currently, there are more than 11,000 hectares of palm plantations in the potential Zone-III areas in East Siang district bordering Assam.
