Bihar Eyes Telangana’s Oil Palm Model, Telangana Turns to Makhana

Bihar is keen to study Telangana’s oil palm cultivation model and technology-driven farming practices, while Telangana is looking to Bihar for insights into makhana cultivation, processing and value addition as the two states explore ways to strengthen agricultural cooperation.

The issue came up during a meeting between Bihar Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The ministers discussed agricultural technology, crop diversification and sharing successful farming practices.

Tummala outlined Telangana’s digital initiatives, including weather alerts, Rythu Nestham video conferencing, crop booking, satellite-based crop monitoring, urea booking applications and AgriStack-based farmer identification.

He also highlighted the AI-powered Krishivas crop-monitoring system, which helps detect crop problems early and enables timely intervention. Such technology, he said, can reduce cultivation costs while improving yields and farm profitability.

Tummala said the government has spent around ₹1.50 lakh crore on farmer welfare since assuming office. He cited the farm loan waiver of up to ₹2 lakh, annual Rythu Bharosa assistance of ₹12,000 per acre and a ₹500-per-quintal bonus for fine-quality paddy.

Telangana’s oil palm expansion drew particular attention from Bihar. The state had 3.11 lakh acres under oil palm in 2025-26, producing around 74,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil. Sinha said Bihar would examine the crop’s potential and send a team to study Telangana’s model.

In return, Tummala expressed interest in Bihar’s makhana ecosystem. Bihar has developed makhana clusters in Darbhanga, Madhubani and Sitamarhi and established a Makana Board to strengthen research, processing, value addition and marketing.

A Telangana delegation is expected to visit Bihar to study the sector. Both states agreed to deepen cooperation in agricultural technology and farmer-oriented best practices.