06/06/2012 (Bernama) - Malaysia, the world's second largest palm oil producer, will help India with its cultivation of oil palm, said Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

"Where we can help, we will certainly do so, as India ventures into oil palm cultivation," he said.

For a start, Malaysia can provide germinated seeds to India, he told reporters, after meeting India's Minister of Agriculture, Sharad Chandra Govindrao Pawar here, today.

Also present was Malaysia's High Commissioner to India Datuk Tan Seng Sung, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council's chief executive officer, Tan Sri Yusof Basiron and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board's Director-General, Datuk Dr Choo Yuen May.

Sompok said at the meeting, the possibility of exchanging technical cooperation, as well as information was also discussed.

It was announced last year that India's agriculture ministry would implement a special programme to increase the area under oil palm cultivation by 60,000 hectares to over 211,000 hectares from the current 171,000.

Oil palm plantation in India is mainly in the state of Kerala and the Nicobar Islands.

India imports between 20-25 per cent of its palm oil needs from Malaysia.