The addition brings the total oil palm area under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) scheme to 2,41,000 hectares since its launch in August 2021, with nationwide coverage now at 6,00,000 hectares.
“Oil palm cultivation is picking up. The acreage has reached 52,113 hectares till October 22 of the 2025-26 fiscal,” the Agriculture Ministry official told PTI.
Andhra Pradesh accounted for 13,286 hectares of the new area, followed by Telangana with 12,005 hectares, with the remainder from states including Chhattisgarh, Goa and Gujarat.
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have embraced oil palm cultivation for its high returns, often intercropping it with cocoa and other crops, the official said.
India currently imports germinated oil palm seeds and grows them in nurseries for 18 months before transplanting to fields. The government has sanctioned seed gardens this year to accelerate the process, the official added. Under NMEO-OP, 24 mills with a capacity of 638.5 tonnes per hour have been approved. The ministry has set an ambitious target to cover 2,00,000 hectares with oil palm in the 2025-26 fiscal year. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Mizoram are leading states in cultivation.
India has identified 2.8 million hectares of suitable land for oil palm, which yields 10 times more oil per hectare than oilseeds such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed-mustard, and groundnut.
India imports 57 per cent of its edible oil requirements, with palm oil accounting for the largest share.