Oil Palm Mission

In News 

• Recently, the Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE) raised objections against introducing oil palm in biodiversity-rich areas.

More in news 

• The Union Cabinet cleared the Rs 11,040-crore National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) with a focus on growing the crop in the northeast and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands due to their favourable rainfall and temperature. It aims to cut the import bill.

Background 

• Between 1976 and 1985, nearly 16 sq km of forest land gave way to oil palm plantations in Little Andaman.
•  In 1995, three NGOs moved to the SC seeking to defend the island’s tropical rainforests and indigenous communities. 
  • The apex court formed a committee in 2001 and, based on its report, stopped monoculture or commercial plantations on the archipelago’s forest land in 2002. It also banned the introduction of exotic species.
• In 2019, The Supreme Court had also asked the Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE)for its opinion on plantations of exotic oil palm in the Andaman and Nicobar.
• In January 2020, ICFRE submitted its report recommending that the introduction of oil palm “should be avoided” in biodiversity-rich areas, including grasslands, without detailed studies on its ecological impact.
• It recommended “comprehensive” and “detailed” studies to assess the invasiveness of oil palm in Little Andaman, its impact on native fauna and the overall qualitative changes in native flora and biodiversity.

Major Concerns 

• Oil Palm is the source of the world’s largest consumed edible oil-primarily due to its high productivity, versatility and substantial price advantage. 
  • But plantations are also blamed for inflicting widespread environmental and social damage across continents, from Cameroon to Malaysia.
• The usual oil palm planting practices burn an area after felling forests or draining peat swamps which cause massive loss of forests and biodiversity. 
  • Burnt, dried or simply left to rot, dead trees and vegetation release greenhouse gases. 

• Such rapid changes in land use have also been linked to social impact.

Conclusion and way forward 

• India’s push for palm oil self-reliance has a special focus on the Northeast and the Andaman Nicobar Islands, two ecologically sensitive regions. The Centre must ensure that environmental safeguards are in place and health interests are not compromised.

Source:IE