India Set to Launch its Own Olive Oil Brand

The Indian state of  Rajasthan is set to launch its own brand of olive oil under the name “Raj Olive Oil,” the first Indian olive oil produced within the country. By Isabel Putinja By ISABEL PUTINJA   

The Indian state of Rajasthan is set to launch its own brand of olive oil under the name “Raj Olive Oil,” the first Indian olive oil produced within the country.

The brand will be officially unveiled at the Global Rajasthan Agri-tech Meet (GRAM) in Jaipur on November 9.

SEE MORE: Complete Coverage of the Rajasthan Olive

 

Project

 

Olive oil produced in India has been anticipated ever since a pilot project for olive cultivation first began in 2008 when 112,000 olive saplings from Israel were planted on 182 hectares of government farms in Rajasthan.

The following year, these saplings were transferred to local farmers who also received subsidies to encourage olive cultivation.

11,574 kg of olive oil have been produced in Rajasthan as a result, with the districts of Ganganagar, Bikaner, Hanumangarh and Nagore producing the most.

A yield of 4,500 liters of the olive oil produced in India will be marketed throughRajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited (ROCL), a joint-venture of the state government, India’s Finolex Plasson Industries, and Indolive Industries of Israel.

ROCL’s managing director, Yogesh Verma, told The Economic Times that assistance was requested from Israel because of the similar climatic conditions in both regions, and that the plan is to increase cultivation to 5,000 hectares. He also added that olive cultivation offers returns for farmers three to four times more than traditional crops like wheat and pearl millet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India is experiencing rising demand for olive oil and imports are expected to rise by 20 percent. According to the ROCL, India currently imports 14,500 tons of olive oil from Spain, Italy and Greece.

Domestically-produced olive oil can reduce the need for imports and offer Indian consumers a high-quality product at cheaper market prices compared to imported oils.

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• The Economic Times 
• Hindu Business Line
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