8.7.15

Rajasthan's tryst with Olives

Rajasthan's tryst with olives finally bears fruit as oil extraction of the Mediterranean plant begins this year, making Rajasthan the first state in the country to produce olive oil.
A milestone of Indo-Israel cooperation, the olive plantation pilot project that commenced in March 2008 is ready to be harvested from August to October to begin with in Nagaur and Bikaner. And the first lot of indigenously produced `Raj Olive Oil' will hit the market this year end at one-third the cost of what is available in the market. “The oil extracted would be of extra virgin and virgin oil varieties that are made by mechanical processes and are not chemically treated. The permissible level of free fatty acids is higher in virgin olive oil compared to the extra virgin variety and that is what we would be producing in Rajasthan. With the experimental lot, we expect to extract 8,000-10,000 litres of olive oil,“ said Yogesh Kumar Verma, chief operating officer, Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited.“Around 7,944 litre olive oil was produced previous year but it was auctioned to a private company . But now, our systems are in place,“ he said.
It takes 4-5 years for a tree to bear fruits. Initially , the fruit would contain 10-15% of olive oil. However, once the tree matures by 7-8 years, its oil content increases to 13-15%, said Verma.
At the moment, seven olive farms, spreading over 182 ha, with the government are developed in different agroclimatic zones of the state.Besides, 125 ha farms are with private players.
Today , Rajasthan is the leading state in olive cultivation in the country and has harvested around 120 tonnes of raw production of olive fruit. For this, 1.12 lakh plants of seven different olive varieties namely Barnea, Arbequina, Cortina, Picholine, Picual, Coraniki & Frontoy were imported from Israel.
The cold storage unit is already in place and olive oil extraction unit was also set up by CM Vasundhara Raje at the cost of Rs 3.75 cr in Lunkaransar area, Bikaner. “By 2016, we will add 200 ha more area to olive cultivation in Bikaner as was announced by the CM,“ said Verma.
The country's olive oil imports are projected to shoot up from 14,000 mt to 42,000 mt by 2025 as more and more Indians choose olive oil for health benefits. Olives are rich in oleic acid which helps in preventing heart diseases.
“An imported one litre bottle of extra virgin variety costs between Rs 800 and Rs 1,000. But the introductory price for the same made in Rajasthan would be around Rs 400 only . Initially, it would be available only in Rajasthan,“ said Verma.

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