Khammam: Subabul farmers, who are finding it tough to sell wood, are shifting gears and eyeing palm oil cultivation. The state government’s encouragement is coming as a morale-booster.
There are two palm oil factories in Bhadradri district and a third is coming up at Konigerla in Khammam district.
The price of crude palm oil is nearly Rs 20,000 per tonne and farmers in Dammapet and Aswaraopet are getting a lucrative Rs 80,000 per acre as annual lease for their palm oil fields.
Around 300 farmers from Konigerla, Kallur, Sattupalli, Kusumanchi, Tallada, Wyra and Enkoor mandals in Khammam district and Dammapet, Awaraopet, Mulakalapalli, Chandrugonda and Annapureddipalli, who have adequate water facility, have gone in for palm oil. The land extent from subabul to palm oil shift is around 1,500 acres.
Meanwhile, landlords with over 40 acres of land shifted their businesses by raising subabul in their lands. There is no regular supervision for subabul and the land owner can order wood cutting every third year. Instead of waiting for revenue every third year, they have opted for palm oil, where they earn handsome amounts every year.
Adapa Lachaia Dora, a palm oil grower in Mandalapalli in Dammapet mandal, said, “Many subabul farmers visited palm oil fields and enquired about the pros and cons of palm cultivation. Some of them have bought seed saplings from nurseries in the mandal ''.
The oil is priced at Rs 160 per litre, which is the highest ever. Telangana Oilfed manager A Balakrishna Reddy said that the government is giving Rs 6,700 subsidy per acre on palm saplings and Rs 2,000 per year on fertilizers. Farmers should get fertilizer subsidies for four consecutive years.
