Guwahati: Assam has achieved 99.5% of its oil palm plantation target for the previous month and set a target of bringing 20,000 bighas of land under ‘makhana’ cultivation this year, agriculture officials said on Wednesday.At a review meeting in Dispur, agriculture minister Pijush Hazarika directed officials to further scale up oil palm plantations while speeding up ‘makhana’ seed distribution and farmer training. He reviewed the progress of the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) at a meeting with the commissioner and director of agriculture and senior officials at Janata Bhavan in Dispur on Wednesday.Emphasising the need for coordinated action, the minister asked the department to accelerate implementation of the mission and ensure that the targets set under it are achieved. “It may be mentioned that Assam recorded 99.5% achievement of the target in oil palm plantation during the previous month,” a govt release stated.He also took stock of the progress of the ‘makhana’ mission in Assam and directed officials to accelerate its implementation. “The department has set a target of bringing around 20,000 bighas of land under ‘makhana’ cultivation during the current year,” the release stated.
