OFDC earning at Rs 37cr

Orissa Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) has posted earnings of Rs 37 crore from the auction sale of processed kendu leaves in the third auction of 2008-09 held in Sambalpur on August 30 this year.

Out of around 50,000 quintals of processed kendu leaves offered for sale in the general auction, about 44,000 quintals were sold.

OFDC also recorded earnings of Rs 33.77 crore from the sale of 42, 285 quintals of processed kendu leaves through sealed tendering process on September 24 this year.

It may be recalled that OFDC achieved its highest ever earnings of Rs 56 crore from the auction sale of 65,000 quintals of kendu leaves in the first general auction sale of kendu leaves for 2008-09 held in Bhubaneswar from July 30 to August 3.

The auction proceedings witnessed intense competitive bidding and demand for kendu leaves of Orissa among purchasers which included bidi manufacturers and traders across the country.

"The sale of kendu leaves is being carried out by OFDC alternatively through the processes of sealed tenders and general auctions. The next general auction for kendu leaves will be conducted in Bhubaneswar on October 22”, Vinod Kumar, the managing director of OFDC told Business Standard.

OFDC has so far posted earnings of about Rs 183 crore from 2,17,011 quintals of processed kendu leaves sold though auctions and tenders in 2008-09 as against Rs 253 crore earned from the trade of kendu leaves in 2007-08.

OFDC also exports about 20,000 quintals of processed kendu leaves to 50-60 countries every year which brings in revenue of around Rs 20 crore.

Asked on the progress on the bio diesel front, Kumar said, “Some oil marketing companies had evinced interest in collaborating with the state government agencies to take up extraction of bio diesel. However the tie-up can materialise only when the state has adequate quantity of seeds of jatropha or karanja as the oil marketing companies are looking at a target of extraction of 1,000 litres of bio diesel per day.”

Kumar informed that about 50,000 hectares would be devoted to plantation of non-edible oil producing plants like jatropha and karanja in this year adding “commercial production of bio-diesel can be taken up only after the availability of at least 20,000 metric tonnes of seeds of jatropha and karanja.”

According to the policy guidelines for cultivation of non-edible oil producing plants notified by the Orissa government, OFDC is the nodal agency for plantation in forest land while the Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) has been identified as the nodal agency for jatropha nurseries and plantations outside forest areas.