International Journal of Agriculture

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN (P): 2250–0057; ISSN (E): 2321–0087
Vol. 11, Issue 1, Jun 2021, 59-64
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

TECHNOLOGICAL GAP IN ADOPTION OF IMPROVED OIL PALM CULTIVATION

PRACTICES BY OIL PALM GROWERS IN KOLASIB DISTRICT OF MIZORAM

ZOHMINGMAWII SAILO1, Dr. J. LONGKUMER2, LIMASUNEP OZUKUM3

&SEPILA M SANGTAM4
1
Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Agricultural Extension, School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD),
Nagaland University, Nagaland, India
2
Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension, School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD), Nagaland
University, Nagaland, India
3
Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Agricultural Economics, School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD),
Nagaland University, Nagaland, India
4
M.Sc.Department of Agricultural Extension, School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD), Nagaland
University, Nagaland, India
ABSTRACT

A study was conducted in Kolasib district of Mizoram to identify the technological gaps in adoption of improved oil palm
cultivation practices. Descriptive research design was used for the study. A total 120 respondents were purposively

Original Article
selected from eight villages namely Khamrang, Thingdawl, Bualpui and Kawnpui from Thingdawl R.D Block and
Buhchangphai, Bukvannei, Saihapui and Meidum from Bilkhawthlir R.D Block. The results from the study showed that
in case of overall technological gap, 40.84 per cent of farmers had low technological gap followed by 39.16 per cent and
20 per cent of respondents with high and medium technological gap regarding oil palm production technology
respectively. The analysis on practice wise technology gap among various recommended technologies revealed that high
technological gap was observed in the use of chemical for pest and disease control (92 %), application of nutrients (55
%), use manures and fertilizers (43 %), irrigation (33 %) and spacing (26 %). The findings also revealed that the selected
independent variables viz. education, annual income, income from oil palm, extension contact, training within the state
and age of plantation had negative and significant relationship with technological gap at 1% level of significance. The
major constraint faced by oil palm growers include land preparation, pest and diseases, site selection, transportation,
field management, marketing, input availability, harvesting etc.

KEYWORDS: Technological gap, Oil palm growers & Correlation

Received: Jan 09, 2021; Accepted: Jan 29, 2021; Published: Feb 13, 2021; PaperId.: IJASRJUN20217

1. INTRODUCTION

Oil palm (Elaeisguineensis) is a perennial evergreen tree which belongs to the family Arecaceae. It is also known as
Macaw fat or African Oil palm. Among cultivated oilseed crops, Oil palm has the highest productivity which makes
it one of the cheapest oils(Anonymous (a), 2017). Two types of oil,i.e. palm oil and palm kernel oil, are extracted
from the palm on a commercial scale. There are various fatty acid profiles in crude palm oil and kernel palm oil,
which improve the crop's versatility in industrial applications (Barceloset.al, 2015).

Oil palm was introduced in India during the year 1886 at the National Royal Botanical Gardens, Kolkata.
Plantation Corporation of Kerala started large scale planting of Oil palm during 1971-1984 which was then
followed by Andaman Forest and Plantation Development Corporations Ltd., in Little Andaman Islands of

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60 ZohmingmawiiSailo, Dr. J. Longkumer, LimasunepOzukum
& Sepila M Sangtam

Andaman and Nicobar Islands during 1976 to 1985. In many states of India, Oil palm has already been successfully
cultivated and the total area of cultivation was 3 lakh Ha up to the year. 2015-16. (Anonymous (a), 2017)

Oil palm cultivation was started during 1999-2000 on a trial basis in two districts of Mizoram i.e. Lunglei and
Kolasib District which showed promising result. Large scale cultivation of Oil palm was started Mizoram during 2004-
2005 under ISOPOM (Integrated Scheme of Oil Seeds, Pulses, Oil Palm & Maize) (Anonymous (b), 2017). For the
development of Oil Palm cultivation in Mizoram, MOU was signed between Government of Mizoram and three companies
viz. Godrej Agrovet Ltd., Ruchi Soya Industries and 3F Oil Palm AgrotechPvt. Ltd. The Department of Agriculture,
Mizoram and the partner companies are responsible for supplying quality planting materials, fertilisers, pipes for irrigation
purpose etc. They have also provided advisory services on matters of improved cultivation practices, pest and disease
management, harvesting etc. In spite of all the efforts given by the government, the knowledge and adoption of improved
oil palm cultivation was found to be at the medium level. Therefore, the present study was aimed to

 Determine the technological gap in adoption of improved oil palm cultivation practices by oil palm growers.
 Identify the relationship betweenselected independent variables and technological gap.
 Analyse the constraints faced by oil palm growers.

2. METHODOLOGY

Descriptive research design was used for the present study. The study was conducted in Kolasib district of Mizoram where
the only functioning oil palm processing mill is located.Two Rural Development blocks namely, Thingdawl and
Bilkhawthlir were selected purposively. A total 120 respondents i.e. 15 respondents from each village, were purposively
selected from eight villages namely Khamrang, Thingdawl, Bualpui and Kawnpui from Thingdawl R.D Block and
Buhchangphai, Bukvannei, Saihapui and Meidum from Bilkhawthlir R.D Block. The criteria for the selection of
respondents were based on the age of the oil palm plantation i.e. more than 5 years. The data was collected with the help of
specially designed interview schedule. The collected data were classified, tabulated and systematically analysed with
appropriate statistical tools for drawing valid conclusion. Statistical tools used are mean, frequency, percentage, standard
deviation, correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression.

Technological gap was operationalized as difference between specific technology recommended and technology
adopted. The technological gap was calculated and presented in terms of percentage. The formula for the calculation of
technological gap is as follows:

𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒−𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑏𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑

Technological gap= 𝑥 100
𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒

The respondents were categorized into low, medium and high technological gap category by using mean and
standard deviation. The practice wise technological gap in oil palm production technology was also calculated by using the
same formula. On the basis of percent, technological gap rank was assigned to each practice.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The data collected from 120 oil palm growers was analysed using statistical tools. Mean and standard were used to classify
the respondents into low, medium and high technological gap category.

Impact Factor (JCC): 8.3083 NAAS Rating: 4.13

Technological Gap in Adoption of Improved Oil Palm Cultivation Practices by 61
Oil Palm Growers in Kolasib District of Mizoram

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents according to their Overall Technological Gap in recommended

Practices of Oil PalmN=120
Sl. No Category Frequency Percentage Mean S.D
Low technological gap
1. 49 40.84
(below 15.96)
Medium technological gap
2. 24 20
(15.96-29.48)
22.72 6.76
High technological gap
3. 47 39.16
(above 29.48)

Table 1 revealed that majority (40.84 %) of oil palm growers had low technological gap, followed by high (93.16
%) and medium (20 %) technological gap in adoption of improved oil palm cultivation practices.

The probable reason of low technological gap might be due to fact that oil palm is introduced in the state of
Mizoram as a government initiative. But 39.16 percent of the respondents are in the high technological gap category
because they were unable to adopt certain practices like spacing, irrigation etc. due to the hilly terrain even though they
were aware about it.

Table 2: Practice wise Technological Gap in adoption of recommended practices of

Oil Palm by oil Palm GrowersN=120
Sl. No Name of Practices Technological Gap (%) Rank
1. Use of chemicals for pest and disease control 92 I
2. Application of nutrients 55 II
3. Manures and fertilizers 43 III
4. Irrigation 33 IV
5. Spacing 26 V
6. Planting method 25 VI
7. Methods and time of harvesting fruit bunch 12 VII
8. Intercultural operation 8 VIII
9. Pit size 3 IX

The data presented in Table 2 revealed that the first rank in technological gap (92 per cent) was observed in the
use of chemical for pest and disease control, followed by application of nutrients (55 per cent), manures and fertilizers (43
per cent), irrigation (33 per cent) and spacing (26 per cent) which were ranked second, third, fourth and fifth respectively.
Planting method (25 per cent) was ranked sixth, followed by method and time of harvesting fruit bunch (12 per cent),
intercultural operation (8 per cent) and pit size (3 per cent). The possible reason for these gaps might be due to lack of
knowledge and finance, high dependence of the farmers on the government and company for the supply of inputs such as
manures, fertilizers, insecticides and chemical for the treatment of diseases. The farmers were also unable to adopt certain
practices such as spacing and pit size due to the topography of the land.

Among the 13 cultivation practices, adoption of cultivars according to the climatic and soil requirement,
recommended propagation method, recommended time of planting and artificial pollination were adopted fully by all the
respondents therefore, technological gap is absent for these practices.

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62 ZohmingmawiiSailo, Dr. J. Longkumer, LimasunepOzukum
& Sepila M Sangtam

Table 3: Correlation between Technological Gap of the respondents about recommended practices of
Oil Palm and Selected Independent VariablesN=120
Sl. No Name of the Independent Variables ‘r’ Value
1. Age 0.109 (NS)
2. Sex 0.121(NS)
3. Education -0.475**
4. Marital Status -0.058(NS)
5. Family size -0.091(NS)
6. Occupation 0.024(NS)
7. Annual income -0.396**
8. Income from Oil palm -0.357**
9. Extension contact -0.404**
10. Training -0.370**
11. Age of plantation -0.309**
*= Significant at 0.05, ** = Significant at 0.01, NS= Non significant

The correlation between the independent variables and the technological gap revealed that education, annual
income, income from oil palm, extension contact, training and age of plantation had value of -0.475, -0.396, -0.357, -
0.404, -0.370 and -0.309 respectively, which is found to have negative and significant relationship with technological gap
at 1% level of significance. This showed that with every increase in the value independent variables there is a decrease in
the technological gap.

Table 4: Distribution of Respondents based on the Constraints faced in Oil Palm CultivationN=120
Sl. No. Category Nature of Problem Encountered % Rank
• Costly
1. Land preparation 74.16 I
• Time consuming
2. Pest and diseases • Boars, Rodents, birds and wild animals 60 II
• Hilly terrain
3. Site selection • Lack of water source 52.50 III
• Inaccessibility from main roads
• Lack of proper roads from plantation to main
4. Transportation road. 51.67 IV
• More problems during monsoon.
5. Input availability • Insufficient supply of fertilizers 41.83 V
6. Harvesting • Height of the palm 40 VI
Irrigation • Uneven distribution of pipes and other
7. 33.33 VII
materials among the farmers
Field • Lack of labourers in the area
8. 15.83 VIII
management • Taboos related to Oil palm thorn injury
9. Marketing • Late payment of money by the company 12.50 IX
Planting material
10. • Weak seedlings supplied through NLUP 10.83 X
selection
Nutritional • Chlorosis
11. 7.5 XI
disorder • Yellowing of leaves

Table 4 revealed that 74.13 per cent of the respondents had problems in land preparation. This problem arose
because of the topography of the land where oil palms were cultivated. This condition not only created havoc to the
farmers during land preparation, but also during the management and harvesting of the crops. The respondents were
advised to make Half-moon terrace to prevent soil erosion and to conserve moisture but this cost money and it is time
consuming.

The constraints faced by the respondents in terms of pest and disease ranked second. The problems caused by

Impact Factor (JCC): 8.3083 NAAS Rating: 4.13

Technological Gap in Adoption of Improved Oil Palm Cultivation Practices by 63
Oil Palm Growers in Kolasib District of Mizoram

insects and diseases are negligible but the main problem was due to attack by wild animals, birds and rodents. Boars
uprooted the newly transplanted palms and caused problems for the farmers as they had to replant new seedlings. Rodents
feed on fruits, new shoots and newly transplanted seedlings which caused damage to the palms. Birds also feed on the
fruits which reduce the yield of the Fresh Fruit Bunches. Therefore 60 per cent of the respondents faced problem due to
pest and diseases.

It can be incurred from the Table that site selection is the third biggest constraint faced by the respondents.
Topographic factors such as elevation, slope and terrain had caused problems for the farmers in the selection of suitable
land for cultivation of Oil palm. The unavailability of water for irrigation had also caused problem at the initial stage of
establishment of the plantation. The accessibility of the plantation from the main road is also another factor that
contributed to the problem of site selection. Hence 52.5 per cent of the respondents faced the problem of site selection.

It can also be incurred from the table that transportation was the fourth biggest constraint faced by the farmers.
The progress of the cultivation of Oil palm of 51.67 per cent respondents was interrupted by transportation problem. The
plantation site had topographies which did not allow construction of proper roads which could connect Oil palm
plantations to main roads. Transporting FFBs from plantations to the Collection Points became a major task as FFBs
weighed around 15-20 kg. The kacha roads are not fit for use during monsoon season. Regardless of the present percentage
of farmers who face transportation problem, the transportation grievances of many farmers were redressed over the past
years by the construction of railway tracks by North-East Railway Frontier which pass through Oil palm plantation sites.
These cut-out lands served as temporary roads for the farmers.

Table 4 further revealed that unavailability of inputs is one of the major constraints faced by the farmers. The
Department of Agriculture and Godrej AgrovetPvt. Ltd. AgrovetPvt. Ltd. used to supply inputs such as fertilizers,
manures, seedlings, pipes, etc. to the farmers. Constructions of water storage structures were also carried out in addition to
the supply of inputs. These supplies had drastically declined in the recent past; thus, caused problems to the farmers.
Therefore, 41.83 per cent of the respondents reported that the decline in the supply resulted to the input availability as
being one of the constraints being faced by the farmers.

Further, 40 per cent of the respondents had reported that they faced problems in regard to harvesting. As the palm
become older in age, they grow taller making it difficult for the farmers to harvest them. The respondents did not have
proper harvesting equipment for this situation and some had reported that they had replaced mature palm with new
seedlings. But this solution is not economically feasible as they had to wait for another 4-5 years till they can harvest the
FFBs again.

Majority of the respondents depend on rainfall as the source of water supply but this is not enough to meet the
dairy requirement of 150mm/ day during winter or dry seasons. Therefore 33.33 per cent had reported that they faced
problem with regards to irrigation. Irrigation is a tedious work in these areas because of the slope of the land and initial
establishment of irrigation channels requires time, money and labour. The Agriculture Department in the district had tried
its best to supply materials for the construction of water harvesting and storage structures but this is not enough to meet the
demands of all the farmers growing Oil palm in the area.

Also, 15.83 per cent of the respondents faced problems in respect to field management. This problem is also due
to the slope of the land that makes it difficult to carry out different farm operations. Some of the respondents believed that

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64 ZohmingmawiiSailo, Dr. J. Longkumer, LimasunepOzukum
& Sepila M Sangtam

Oil palm thorn injury causes cancer which led to the reduction of labourer availability in the area. Oil palm thorn injury
causes pseudo tumours which had to be removed by medical professionals. So, the respondents had to travel to the District
capital just to remove the thorn.

The Table had further revealed that 12.5 per cent of the respondents had problems related to marketing. The
respondents cited that they do not get paid by the company on time. They are paid at a later date where money is directly
deposited in their bank accounts causing problems for the farmers who depend solely on oil palm as a source of income.

With regards to selection of planting material, 10.83 per cent of the respondents faced problem because the
seedlings supplied under the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) were physiologically week and fragile compared to the
seedlings supplied earlier by the Department of Agriculture. Lastly, 0.83% had reported problem with nutritional disorder
i.e. chlorosis. The lack of report on the occurrence of nutritional disorders may be due to the lack of knowledge on the part
of the respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

It can be concluded from the findings that majority (40.84 %) of oil palm growers had low technological gap, followed by
high (93.16 %) and medium (20 %) technological gap in adoption of improved oil palm cultivation practices. Practise wise
technological gap revealed that there is high technological gap in the use of chemical for pest and disease, application of
nutrients, manures and fertilizers, irrigation and spacing.

The factors affecting technological gap in adoption of improved oil palm cultivation were education, annual
income, income from oil palm, extension contact, training and age of plantation. These factors were found to have negative
and significant relationship with technological gap.

The rank wise constraint faced by oil palm growers are as follows: land preparation, pest and diseases, site
selection, transportation, field management, marketing, input availability, harvesting, marketing, planting material and
nutritional disorder.

REFERENCES

1. Anonymous (a). 2017. Status paper on Oil palm. OilSeeds Division, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers
Welfare. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India.
2. Anonymous (b). 2017. Agriculture Department (Crop Husbandry). Government of Mizoram. http://agriculturemizoram.nic.in.
Accessed on 26, July 2017
3. Barcelos, E., Rios, S., Cunha, R. N. V., Lopes,R., Motoike, S.Y., Babiychuk,E., Skirycz, A. &Kushnir, S.(2015). Oil Palm
Natural Diversity and the Potential for Yield Improvement. Frontiers in Plant Science. 6: 190.

Impact Factor (JCC): 8.3083 NAAS Rating: 4.13