Nagaland Farmers Ship First Oil Palm Harvest

Kohima: Farmers in Mangkolemba shipped their first load of oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunches this week. The harvest left Longtho under the watch of local agriculture officials. It marks a shift for the sub-division.

Patanjali bought three metric tonnes of the fruit from local growers. Mahesh Pathak, the company's state head, oversaw the operation alongside staff from the Mangkolemba Sub-Divisional Agriculture Office. This effort falls under the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm.

State officials view the crop as a major win for rural income. The mission aims to cut the nation's reliance on imported cooking fats. Local authorities believe the success of this first shipment proves the region's potential as a productive center for oil palm. As the department noted, the dispatch "demonstrates the potential of oilpalm as a remunerative crop capable of enhancing farmers’ income."