The Horticulture Department of Telangana is focused on expanding the area under horticulture crops to enhance nutritional security and provide higher returns to farmers due to the higher yield per unit area. To achieve these objectives, various central and state schemes have been implemented.
Key Schemes in Horticulture
Micro Irrigation Project (TGMIP)
- State Horticulture Mission (now known as MIDH since 2005)
- Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)
- National Bamboo Mission & Sub-Mission of AgroForestry
- National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) (since 2021-22)
Horticulture Crop Area and Production (2022-23)
- Area:12 lakh acres
- Production:06 lakh metric tons (MTs)
- Major Crops: Mango, Sweet orange, Acid Lime, Guava, Pomegranate, Tomato, Brinjal, Oil Palm, Cashewnut, Chillies, and Turmeric
- Oil Palm Cultivation in Telangana
India’s Oil Palm Context:
- India is one of the largest consumers of palm oil, with a demand of nearly 100 lakh MTs per year.
- The country currently cultivates oil palm on 11.37 lakh acres, producing 22.29 lakh MTs of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) and 3.91 lakh MTs of crude palm oil annually.
- To achieve self-sufficiency in palm oil, India requires an estimated 70 lakh acres of oil palm cultivation.
- National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP):
- This mission aims to enhance edible oilseeds production, increase crude palm oil production, and reduce import dependency.
- The mission targets adding 16.25 lakh acres of oil palm cultivation by 2025-26, with 3.125 lakh acres specifically for Telangana.
Oil Palm Cultivation in Telangana
- 2020-21 Coverage: By 2020-21, Telangana had only 46,324 acres under oil palm cultivation, limited to four districts: Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Nalgonda, and Suryapet.
- Expansion under NMEO-OP: Since the launch of NMEO-OP in 2021-22, oil palm cultivation has expanded statewide, excluding Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts.
- 2023-24 Coverage: By 2023-24, oil palm cultivation in Telangana had reached 2.03 lakh acres, with 1,56,927 acres under NMEO-OP from 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Infrastructure and Support
- Processing Units: Telangana has 14 processing companies operating across 31 districts, with 43 nurseries. Two units by M/s TS Oil Fed in Bhadradri-Kothagudem have a combined capacity of 120 MTs per hour, and five more mills are being established.
- Mission Activities: The NMEO-OP mission supports various activities, including area expansion, garden maintenance, intercropping, seed gardens, nurseries, custom hiring centres, and capacity building for farmers and officials.