Thursday 5 June 2014

Olive Oil: Finally produced commercially in India


With growing popularity of its health benefits, olive oil consumption in Indian cooking is becoming more common. One can find importance of olives even in several verses of Bible. In India, most of the olive oil brands available are imported from countries like Spain or Italy which are its leading producers.
Olive cultivation in India was considered a difficult approach in India but it were the efforts of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who after visiting Israel in 2006 was determined to start olive agricultural program on large scale in Rajasthan. As a result, Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited (ROCL) was founded with the collaboration of Rajasthan State Agricultural Marketing Board (RSAMB), Indolive Limited (Israeli company) and Finolex Plasson Industries Ltd.
Good thing about the ROCL olive oil production is that they use mechanical processes for virgin and extra virgin olive oils instead of chemical treatment which ensures quality. The oil will supposedly be available commercially under the name ‘Raj Oil’.
Though the cultivation of olives indigenously is good for health purposes and economic growth it may have some negatives ecologically as per some environmentalists. There is possibility of depletion of already existing plant species along with spread of pests and diseases with olive agriculture. But ROCL claims that the plant species are thoroughly inspected to be free of pests and diseases. There is also possibility of loss of water available locally as lot of water is used for irrigation purposes.
If these concerns are taken care of, this sector may give opportunities to large number of farmers along with traders and scientific community to gain maximum profit and raise the standard of our nation in terms of its productivity and export. Consumers will also be able to get olive oil which will be 20-25 percent cheaper than the existing brands.

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