Former Agri Minister roots for oil palm farming

Mahbubnagar: Former Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy reiterated his commitment to agricultural innovation by visiting the Oil Palm farm of Musti Baliswar in Chityala village of Wanaparthy mandal on Thursday. During the visit, Reddy commended Baliswar for his initiative in cultivating Oil Palm on a 5-acre plot and encouraged him to persist, citing the promising returns expected in the future.

Accompanied by ZP Chairman Loknath Reddy and other dignitaries, the former Minister congratulated Baliswar for not only planting oil palm saplings but also adopting the intercrop cultivation method by sowing groundnut, thereby reaping double benefits.

Reddy emphasised that adopting crop rotation methods could yield significant benefits for farmers, promoting sustainable and profitable agricultural practices. He disclosed that Oil Palm cultivation currently spans approximately 14,000 acres in Wanaparthy district. “Remarkably, Telangana has emerged as the leading state in oil palm cultivation nationwide, with over 2 lakh acres under cultivation,” he said.