Hyderabad: With only 17,090 acres brought under oil palm cultivation against this year’s target of 85,000 acres, achieving just 20 per cent of the goal, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Friday warned oil palm companies of strict action if they failed to improve their performance.Reviewing the progress of oil palm expansion with company representatives at the Secretariat, the minister expressed strong dissatisfaction over the slow pace of plantation despite farmers showing keen interest in taking up the crop. He directed agriculture secretary K Surendra Mohan to initiate stringent action against companies that failed to meet the targets set by the govt.Tummala said several companies had already been issued repeated notices for poor performance but there was little improvement. He warned that the govt would not hesitate to reduce the districts allotted to underperforming companies or remove them altogether and entrust the areas to better performing firms. He said Oil Fed would also not be exempt from action if its performance did not improve.The minister directed companies to ensure there was no shortage of oil palm saplings during August by procuring plants from other firms if required. He also asked them to strengthen field level technical support for farmers and complete oil palm processing units under construction within the stipulated time to reduce transportation costs and ensure timely processing of produce.
