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.

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.

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.

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.

This information was given by the Minister of State of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Sukanta Majumdar in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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