Farm minstry aims to bring in 3 million ha under pulses, oilseeds in 3 years.

Farm ministry plans to introduce cultivation of pulses and oilseeds over 3 million ha of rice fallow land over the next three years to boost output. Bringing in rice fallows under cultivation is part of the ministry plan to raise output of pulses to 24 million tonne by 2020 from this year record of 22.4 million tonne. Government aims to encourage an increase in oil palm cultivation in the country, and to boost domestic crude palm oil output to 0.3 million tonne in the next three years from about 0.2 million tonne. Government plans to increase acreage under oil palm, which yields 10 times more oil per ha compared to soybean, to 0.375 million ha from 0.3 million ha over the next three years. Government had in April done away with the acreage ceiling of 25 ha for benefits given for oil palm cultivation in the country to encourage corporate investment and increase domestic palm oil output.