Centre allows Assam tea gardens to avail assistance under Oil Palm Mission

Delh Delhi: The central government has allowed Assam tea gardens to benefit from the flagship Oil Palm Mission, weeks after a representation was made by an industry body from the region. The Assam-based, North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) in its letter dated February 4, 2025, appealed to the Centre and state governments to extend the Oil Palm Mission scheme to the tea gardens of the state.

As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare sent a letter to the Director of Agriculture of Assam on April 1, 2025, stating that it has agreed to extend the scheme for cultivation of oil palm trees in 5 per cent of the tea gardens of the northeastern state.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in a letter to the Assam government said, “Since assistance is given for oil palm cultivation per hectare under NMEO-OP, the same assistance may be given to the land owner/estate for every 143 oil palm trees (required number per hectare) in case 5 per cent of tea garden land is used. The Assam government should proceed on this using the number of trees required in one hectare as the unit of assistance.”

Assistance under the Oil Palm Mission – National Edible Oil Mission – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) includes planting material, management up to gestation period (4 years), inputs for inter-cropping, land clearance, bio-fencing, drip irrigation, borewell/pump set/water harvesting structure/vermi compost unit, harvesting equipment. In addition, there is also a special package for the North Eastern States.