Governor calls for greater focus on pulses, oil palm cultivation
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has urged the State government to accord greater priority to the cultivation of pulses and oil palm, citing the country’s dependence
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has urged the State government to accord greater priority to the cultivation of pulses and oil palm, citing the country’s dependence on imports to meet domestic demand for pulses and edible oils. The Governor made the observations during a meeting with the State Planning Board Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Expert Committee on the Impact of El Nino G.
Chinna Reddy and other officials at Lok Bhavan in Hyderabad on Saturday. The committee submitted its report on the impact of El Nino to the Governor during the meeting. Agriculture Department Principal Secretary Surendra Mohan, Agriculture Director Gopi and Horticulture Director Yasmin Basha were among those present. During discussions on agriculture and allied sectors, Mr. Shukla said India was facing a significant shortage of pulses and continued to depend on imports to bridge the gap between domestic production and demand.
The Centre spends around ₹34,054 crore annually on importing pulses, he said. He also highlighted the country’s dependence on imported edible oils, stating that India spends nearly ₹1.61 lakh crore annually on edible oil imports. Expanding domestic oil palm cultivation could help reduce the import burden and improve self-reliance, he said. The Governor said oil palm cultivation in Telangana was progressing satisfactorily and called for further expansion of the crop.
Greater cultivation of pulses and oil palm would benefit not only Telangana but also contribute towards addressing shortages at the national level, he added.
The BriefWire