Khaira: The government-sponsored oil-palm cultivation has flopped in Khaira block of Balasore district as some middlemen and government officials have taken undue advantage of the scheme and misappropriated lakhs of rupees. Beneficiaries, who had planted oil-palm saplings on their land on the promise of high returns, failed to make profits as the plants died and surviving ones do not produce fruits.
The oil-palm cultivation was promoted by the government in Khaira area in 2009-10. Saplings were provided to farmers with the promise that they will be given Rs 50 for each plant as maintenance cost. Before distribution of oil-palm saplings, the farmers were supposed to get training, but that was not done. Besides, there was no water provision for the oil-palm farming.
An edible oil company with the help of the horticulture department has supplied saplings to farmers from Andhra Pradesh through a middleman who managed to convince farmers about the high profits from this farming and planted saplings in an unplanned way.
Lured by promise of high returns, over 100 famers had planted saplings on their land. By 2014-15, over 500 farmers had planted oil-palm saplings across 700 hectares. However, samplings of some farmers died while plants of others survived but could not grow properly. It was alleged that some farmers were provided with 50 per cent of the promised financial help while the remaining 50 per cent of help was misappropriated. As there was no authorized office at Khaira, farmers could not know about the benefits they were supposed to receive.
“Though oil-palm plantation had been proposed in the area under MGNREGS in 2016, no farmer was interested in it. No plants produce fruits,” said farmer Ramchandra Satpathy.
Khirod Patra, a farmer of Mahatipur, is still confused about who will buy the end products and how oil will be produced from it. Sushant Mohapatra, a famer of Jalang-Gandibed village, said, “Some farmers have made profits from oil-palm cultivation in Bhandaripokhari and Dhamnagar areas. There was lack of coordination between farmers and officials and that is why farmers had to incur loss.”
When contacted, field officer of the horticulture department, Manoj Patnaik, said he has no idea about what has happened to oil-palm cultivation in the area, but many farmers are making profits. He admitted that many farmers in Khaira are not keen to take up this cultivation now. PNN