Godrej Agrovet’s oil palm business has introduced an initiative called Samadhan, a one-stop solution centre that would provide a comprehensive package of knowledge, tools, services and solutions to oil palm farmers. ‘Samadhan’ aims to be a critical enabler in the palm oil industry and assist oil palm farmers in optimising their yields by adopting the latest agricultural techniques and boosting their productivity. With the focus to provide knowledge and access to contemporary technologies, Godrej Agrovet Samadhan will enable farmers to make informed decisions about venturing into oil palm cultivation thereby enabling sustained growth in their income.
Since the launch of National Mission on Edible Oil – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), in August 2021, Godrej Agrovet, a diversified agribusiness company and a pioneer in the oil palm sector in India, had established a goal to add 60,000 hectares of additional oil palm plantations over the course of the next five years to support the long-term sustainable development of oil palm in India. The company has developed Samadhan in order to achieve this goal.
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Each Godrej Agrovet Samadhan centre intends to support the planting of 2,000 hectares of oil palm and help farmers achieve sustained productivity in mature gardens through the use of modern agricultural technologies and expert advice. Through this initiative, Godrej Agrovet plans to share global best practices with Indian oil palm farmers, and help the farmers to adopt these practices across geographies. It will also help to support farmers to avail of developmental finance, government subsidies, schemes and other benefits.
Highlighting the initiative Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet said, “With more than 30 years of experience in the oil palm business, we have been working with and educating farmers on sustainable oil palm plantation processes. With the help of Samadhan, we hope to provide solutions for the industry’s expansion and prosperity. We are aiming to provide a variety of resources, services, professional guidance and the latest technologies to these oil palm farmers. We have recently opened two centres each in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and by March 2023, we intend to expand them. By 2027, we plan to establish 50 more centres similar to these.”
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NMEO-OP has generated a new sense of excitement and momentum in the oil palm industry since its launch in August 2021. The programme is a landmark initiative from the Indian government that aims to promote the long-term sustainable development of oil palm and provide additional support to new farmers, particularly in the Northeast region, to help them overcome the challenges of starting a new farm. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Government of India, has set a goal to cultivate 1,000,000 hectares of oil palm by 2027 under the NMEO-OP scheme. The programme’s introduction of the Viability Gap Payment (VGP) for long-term sustainable development and increased incentives for new farmers are two key features that make it unique and supportive of the industry.
