Godrej Agrovet to add 9,000 ha under palm plantation
Monday, 15 November 2010
MUMBAI, Nov 14 (Business Standard): Godrej Agrovet (GAVL), a diversified agribusiness company, plans to add 8,000-9,000 hectares (ha) under palm plantation every year. The company is in talks with a number of farmers' groups and individuals in several states to persuade them to take to palm farming.
"Our total potential is 0.2 million ha. However, we have covered just 37,000 ha under palm plantation, of which only 13,000 ha is yielding. Therefore immense potential lies ahead of us to increase the area under palm plantation," said S Varadaraj, chief financial officer of the company.
The company is present in all states where climatic conditions are suitable for palm cultivation. But, it is planning to reach out to other states as well. At present, the company produces over 20,000 tonnes of palm seed and crushes the same in its own units.
It supplies nearly 3,600 tonnes of crude palm oil to vegetable oil refineries for processing.
"Today, nearly 18,000 farmers are working with us. We supply palm sapling to them at the government offered subsidised rate," said Varadaraj.
"Our total potential is 0.2 million ha. However, we have covered just 37,000 ha under palm plantation, of which only 13,000 ha is yielding. Therefore immense potential lies ahead of us to increase the area under palm plantation," said S Varadaraj, chief financial officer of the company.
The company is present in all states where climatic conditions are suitable for palm cultivation. But, it is planning to reach out to other states as well. At present, the company produces over 20,000 tonnes of palm seed and crushes the same in its own units.
It supplies nearly 3,600 tonnes of crude palm oil to vegetable oil refineries for processing.
"Today, nearly 18,000 farmers are working with us. We supply palm sapling to them at the government offered subsidised rate," said Varadaraj.