Will olives ring in cash for Rajasthan? The govt hopes so

Jaipur: Valued as a fruit and for its oil, olives are set to emerge as a major commercial crop in the desert state of Rajasthan in the near future.

Taking a leaf out of the success story of the fruit in Israel, the Rajasthan government has decided to popularise olives as a major cash crop of the state in partnership with some private enterprises in the near future.

Enthused by the success with plantation of the crop on a pilot basis at seven sites in different agro-climatic regions of the western state, the government is all set to provide olive trees to farmers at a heavily subsidised rate from next year.

“The target is to plant olive trees in 5,000 hectares of land in four districts of Rajasthan in the next three years, starting from 2012,” Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited (ROCL) CEO Surendra Singh Shekhawat told PTI. It would be expanded to other regions subsequently, he said.

ROCL is a company set up in partnership between the Rajasthan government, Pune-based Pinolex Plasson and Indolive Ltd of Israel.

Agriculture Principal Secretary KC Mohanty said the produce has the potential to turnaround the economy of the water-deficient state. The idea of introducing olive crops in Rajasthan was floated during the visit of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to Israel in 2006.

The Rajasthan government initially bought about 1.12 lakh saplings of the fruit in 2007 and grew them on an experimental basis at seven sites in different districts. A long duration crop, olive fruits have now come out at Anupgarh, in Sriganganagar district, said Rakesk Kumar Bhatti, the manager of Bassi farm, one of the site on the outskirts of Jaipur where olives were planted.

The olive plants, which cost around Rs 115, would be made available to farmers at a subsidised rate of Rs 28 per tree only, Shekhawat and Bhatti said.

Bhatti said farmers evinced great interest in olive plantation at an agriculture fair organised at Jaipur last week by the PHD Chamber and Commerce of India (PHDCCI).

He said olives hold tremendous economic prospects for farmers, as they could yield a profit of Rs 3.5 lakh per hectare.

Terming the fruit as a boon for the desert state, Shekhawat said some Italian enterprises had tried to grow the fruit in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh in the past, but were not successful. However, the climate of Rajasthan, similar to that of Israel, has been found conducive for olive cultivation, he added.

Besides being a source of edible oil, olives have utility in the manufacture of cosmetic items for babies and also in salad dressing.

PTI