Growing olives in the desert with some help from Israel

The Government-run Durgapura Nursery in Jaipur has already received 50,000 olive saplings, imported for the first time. They are now in greenhouses and field trials will begin next April. After that, 60,000 saplings will arrive for plantation on 210 hectares across 10 nurseries in the state.

Last November, Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Ltd was constituted with equal share-holding by Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board, Indolive of Israel, and Plastro Plasson of Pune. Indolive will assist with know-how in cultivation. Plastro Plasson is a joint venture between Finolex, India, Plastro and Plasson, both of Israel with expertise in drip irrigation and water management.

Assistance from Indolive will be critical, for the company has been successfully growing olive in the Negev desert of Israel using drip irrigation. It will help identify and develop particular varieties of olive that can withstand the harsh desert conditions of Rajasthan.

Mika Harari, an expert from Indolive, is already in Jaipur to coordinate the effort.

“It will be difficult to identify the correct variety for Rajasthan,” said Rajasthan State Agricultural Board administrator Vipin Chandra Sharma.

For now, drip irrigation equipment is being used only in the nursery. As soon as field trials start, an entire range of drip-irrigation and water management instruments will be deployed, said Satish Ghatpande of Plastro Plasson Industries, Pune.

This is still a pilot venture, but entrepreneurs are already sensing an opportunity. In fact, G S Guraya, a farmer from Pali district, has already planted olive saplings on 100 acres and is supplying them to others who wish to try out the crop. Several enquiries have come from Gujarat too, said Ghatpande.

The economic logic is not misplaced. Health-conscious consumers may like to shift to using olive oil — known to build reserves of good or HDL cholesterol — once widespread cultivation of olive in India lowers prices from the current Rs 650-750 per litre.