Lok Sabha Question No. 2850 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Development of Palm Oil, Agarwood and Bamboo in NER
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Shri Tapir Gao

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA Unstarred Question No. 2850

To be answered on

Wednesday, December 17, 2025/Agrahayana 26, 1947 (Saka)

## QUESTION Development of Palm Oil, Agarwood and Bamboo in NER

2850. Shri Tapir Gao:

Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to state:

- (a) the cumulative area brought under the National Palm Oil Mission in the North Eastern Region (NER) till March 2025 along with the target for FY 2025-26 and the status  of  nurseries,  seed  gardens  and  processing  infrastructure  established  under the initiative;
- (b) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  expand  agarwood  cultivation  and exports, including details of the revised export quota, GI registration status, cluster development  in  Assam  and  Tripura  along  with  centralized  licensing  mechanisms introduced to support growers;
- (c) the details of the numbers and value of bamboo-sector projects sanctioned so far,  including  artisan-training  programmes,  engineered  bamboo  product  lines  and market-linkage initiatives through e-commerce storefronts and B2B platforms; and
- (d) the measurable  outcomes achieved in livelihood enhancement, export performance  and  industry  diversification  through  the  development  of  these  three value chains, Palm Oil, Agarwood and Bamboo during the last one year?

## ANSWER

## The Minister of State of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region [Dr. Sukanta Majumdar]

- (a) As per Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, as on 31st March 2025, a cumulative  area  of  68,324  ha  has  been  brought  under  oil  palm  cultivation  in  the North Eastern Region (NER) under National Mission on Edible Oil - Oil Palm, with a target to reach 92,543 ha in 2025-26. To support expansion, 47 nurseries have been

established and 22 additional nurseries approved for 2025-26.Besides, strengthening of seed gardens has been taken up in Mizoram, Tripura , Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Assam. Processing capacity has also been enhanced with two operational mills in Arunachal Pradesh and one in Mizoram. A new mill has been approved for Assam in 2025-26. The Mission focuses on expanding area coverage, ensuring timely availability of quality planting materials, and strengthening processing infrastructure to benefit farmers across the NER.

(b) Cultivation of agar trees is a part of continuing plantation programme including agroforestry, of the States. The Botanical Survey of India in an assessment made in 2024 has indicated that there are about 13.51 crores agar trees grown  on private land  in  NER.  Due  to  its  high  export  potential,  Government  on  the  basis  of recommendation of an Inter-Ministerial Task Force in 2023 approved a roadmap in 2024  to  guide  sustainable  cultivation,  processing  and  trade.  The  NE  States  have been advised to prepare area-expansion plans, supported by geospatial mapping in Tripura  and  Assam,  while  export  promotion  has  been  significantly  strengthened through enhancement of annual export quotas under CITES Convention to 1,51,080 kg for chips and 7,050 kg for oil. To streamline exports, processing of application for export  of  agarwood  products  has been integrated  on  the  DGFT  portal.  GI  tagging has also been taken up by North Eastern Region Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) Ltd in collaboration with North Eastern Council (NEC). Proof of Concept (PoC)  has  also  been  prepared  for  development  of  two  Agarwood  clusters  at Kadamtala (Tripura) and Golaghat (Assam). Collectively, these interventions aim to expand cultivation, strengthen value chains, and boost agarwood exports from the North Eastern Region.

(c) A  total  23  projects  worth  ₹154.03  crore  for  strengthening  bamboo  sector  in NER  have  been  sanctioned  by  NEC  so  far.  North  East  Cane  and  Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) has trained a total of 4907 bamboo artisans and officials during the last three years. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)  has  sanctioned  two  Projects  with  a  total  outlay  of  Rs  82.50  crore  for strengthening  of  traditional  bamboo  artisan  clusters  by  enhancing  market  access, modernizing products, and linking them with digital and retail ecosystem; as well as for  promotion  of  engineered  bamboo  products  through  cluster  strengthening  and export facilitation in NER.

(d)            Over  the  last  year,  the  Government  has  implemented  comprehensive initiatives  across  the  NER  to  strengthen  bamboo,  oil  palm,  and  agarwood  value chain by focusing on livelihood enhancement, export performance and development of  industries  through  the  development  of  these  three  value  chains,  palm  oil, agarwood  and  bamboo,  including  the  measurable  outcomes  as  mentioned  in  part (a), (b) and (c) above of the reply.

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