Oil palm crop: Don’t ignore the green lens

On August 19, the Cabinet approved a ₹11,040crore National Mission on Edible Oils-oil Palm to boost production. It has identified the Northeast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) for the project due to their favourable rainfall and temperature. On Monday, a report said that the Cabinet clearance for the project came in the face of objections raised by a top forestry research institute against introducing oil palm in biodiversity-rich areas — and in the absence of a detailed study. Last week, this newspaper reported that an environment ministry official told a parliamentary committee in 2009 that the existing plantation of oil palm in ANI must be phased out and no exotic species of fauna or flora should be introduced into there. In 2002, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the phasing out of all “exotic plantations”, and the new push will likely require additional clearances from the SC.

The government is keen to push for oil palm plantation because of the huge demand for edible oils. India is the largest importer of vegetable oils. In 2020-21, it imported palm oil worth $5.8 billion. While there is an economic case for pushing for oil palm, the government must learn from the experiences in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula where oil palm plantations have eliminated pristine forests (carbon sinks) and pushed out wildlife. In an era of climate crisis, it is imperative that all projects, no matter how economically attractive, are evaluated through the climate lens because the costs of environmental destruction can be long-term and difficult to offset.