Hyderabad: OilFed MD Yasmin Basha said a new Palm-360 app would help address problems affecting oil palm plantations. The move came amid criticism that OilFed was not adequately educating farmers about oil palm cultivation.
About 58,000 acres of oil palm plantations were reportedly failing to yield fruits. The situation was attributed to negligence by field officers, raising concerns about serious losses for farmers.
OilFed senior officials were alerted about the issue and the need for corrective action. Basha said the new app was being introduced to identify problems in plantations and help resolve them.
The Palm-360 app will operate through GPS and record the condition of oil palm plantations. A tab equipped with the app had already been distributed to field officers for field-level inspections.
Field officers will need to regularly visit the plantations for the system to work effectively. During each visit, they will record the condition of the plantation and details of any problems directly on the app.
The information will then be reviewed by officials at the OilFed head office. Based on the details submitted by field officers, officials will identify the problems and work towards suitable solutions.
The system is intended to improve monitoring of plantations and ensure that crop-related problems receive timely attention. It will also help officials track the condition of individual plantations through field reports.
Palm-360 app to grade plantations based on crop problems
OilFed will grade plantations according to the problems affecting the crop. This grading system will help officials identify plantations that require greater attention.
If a farmer’s crop receives a third-grade classification, officials will give it special attention. The field officer will also determine the next date for visiting that plantation.
The officer will continue monitoring the crop during subsequent visits. Officials will use the information recorded through the Palm-360 app to follow up on identified problems.
This process will allow greater attention to plantations facing serious crop-related issues. OilFed expects regular field visits and app-based reporting to help address problems affecting farmers’ plantations.
The initiative comes as concerns have been raised over plantations that have not produced fruits. According to OilFed, the new monitoring system will help field officers and senior officials respond to such problems more systematically.