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Gujarat govt funds olive oil pilot project
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Thursday, 19 May, 2011, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Archana Aroor
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The growing demand for olive oil, on account of strong economy and growing global exposure of Indians, has propelled the Gujarat government to fund a pilot project for growing olive trees in the state.
For the project, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDAU) in Gujarat has tied up with Asia Everest Ltd, an Israel-based company.
“Until now, the demand for olive products has been met by the mediterranean countries and that it’s a new crop for India, albeit it is grown in Himachal Pradesh for the past 10 to 15 years ,” Dr S B S Tikka, director of research, SDAU, informed FnB News, in a chat over telephone.
Highlighting the importance of olive oil, Dr Tikka said that the oil has seen a growing demand in India for the past five years as it is used as cooking oil, useful particularly for dealing with heart and cholesterol problems. Currently, the olive oil cost ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 600 per litre.
Dr Tikka explained that the University had allotted 200 acres of land for growing different varieties of olive in northern Gujarat last year and that the Phase 1 of the project had already begun, whereby about 2,000 olive trees were grown. The second phase of the project would include educating the farmers through training programmes schedule for June-July this year.
The project would be completed in the third phase where the University would work on commercialisation and olive oil export promotion. The already grown 2000 olives trees would be shifted to the field from the nursery on June 15.
Thousands of farmers have already visited the farm and a few rich farmers have shown interest in the project.
Dr Tikka further said in order to propagate vegetative cultivation, new techniques and protocols of tissue culture were being developed by the team, adding that the Israeli firm had supplied 84,000 saplings of four eastern mediterranean varieties of olives.
Meanwhile, the University would buy back olive seeds at international rates and also set up a processing plant in the state to showcase processing olive oil and other value-added products.
According to reports, the Indian olive oil market which is pegged at Rs 52 crore, is expected to touch to Rs 200 crore by FY11-12 and the demand is estimated to touch 42,000 tonnes in 2012 due to increasing consumption.
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