Experts dispel myths about oil palm cultivation

Experts from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and ICAR Indian Institute of Oil Plam Resource (IIOPR) have dispelled misconceptions about oil palm conservation in Nagaland during a one-day workshop on “Sustainable oil palm cultivation: challenges and opportunities” organised by department of agriculture at Angh House, Agri Expo, Chümoukedima on Friday.
The experts included Ashwin Selvaraj, deputy director, market transformation, and Head of India & China Region, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and Dr K Manorama, principal scientist, agronomy, ICAR Indian Institute of Oil Plam Resource (IIOPR), Pedavegi Andhra Pradesh, who addressed the concerns and opportunities surrounding oil palm cultivation.
Dwelling on the advantages of palm oil, Ashwin Selvaraj informed that to produce one ton of palm oil, it required only 0.26 Hectares of land, as compared to Soyabean Oil, which requires 2 hectares.
He informed that 35% of vegetable oil was produced using palm oil, adding that oil palm uses less 10% on the land allocated to oil crops.
He acknowledged that palm oil comes with a number of environmental and social risks, including deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, loss of biodiversity, and social impact.
However, he stressed on importance of sustainable oil palm plantations (conceptual clarity). He made contextual comparison between South East Asia and India, and best practices on environmental management adopted in sustainable palm oil plantations. Selvaraj emphasized that unlike the large-scale monoculture plantations such as counties like Indonesia and Malaysia, India’s model was smallholder-driven and often integrated with mixed cropping.
He said that Southeast Asia focused on large scale plantation commercialized for high yields, but India’s context would be based on Smallholder-focussed production.
Highlighting about the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), he said RSPO was a partnership for progress and positive impact, facilitating global change to make production and consumption of palm oil sustainable. To inspire change, he said RSPO communicate the environmental and social benefits, for progress. “RSPO catalyse collaboration, and to provide assurance, it sets the standards of certification,” he added.
On whether palm oil could be produced sustainably in India, Selvaraj informed about Centre’s new initiative—National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Pam (NMEO-OP), which was launched in August 2021, with an allocation of 1.4 Billion USD towards boosting India’s self-sufficiency in edible oils, and to help increase farm incomes.
He said that the initiative plans to increase area under oil palm cultivation to One million hectares by 2025 to 2026, particularly in the regions of Northeast and Andaman. He pointed out that a total of 14 states have been earmarked for the implementation, with 30,000 hectares earmarked for Nagaland, with an allocation of Rs. 146.61 Crores, for the 14 selected states.
Dr. K Manorama, who spoke the topic, “Oil Palm in Northeast India: Myths, Realities, and Sustainable Pathways”, dispelled several misconceptions about oil palm cultivation.
She pointed out that oil palm was the most oil-efficient crop, yielding 4 to 6 tonnes per hectare annually with high water-use efficiency and carbon sequestration potential.
She also shared the findings from GIS-based mapping that identified suitable areas for oil palm in Nagaland. Dr. Manorama maintained that cultivation could be ecologically viable when scientific guidelines were followed.
Highlighting about positive impacts of oil palm cultivation, she said that it was the highest oil producing crop, with an economic life span of 25 to 30 years, with less labour intensive, easy management, assured marketing facilities, regular income throughout the year, no requirement for go-downs, possibility of inter-cropping, low pest problems, etc.
Dr Manorama said 51,297 hectares of land for oil palm cultivation had been earmarked in the state—
Dimapur (25567 ha), Wokha (7774 ha), Tuensang (6220 ha), Peren (5091ha), Mokokchung (5472 ha), and Kiphire (1894 ha) under Rainfed conditions.
She also dismissed myths such as “It consumes excessive water and depletes groundwater”, “Oil palm causes massive deforestation”, “It is unsuitable for the ecological diversity of NE”, “Smallholders cannot benefit from oil palm”, “Palm oil is not good for health”, etc.
She stated that oil palm consumed water mostly from upper root zone, adding that it used only rain water and surface water.
“Myths are often rooted in global contexts, and not always applicable to India. Northeast India presents unique opportunity for climate-resilient, sustainable cultivation, and with right practices, oil palm can be a boon in NE India, not a threat,” she stated.
Meanwhile, agriculture department deputy director, Ronchamo Kikon, addressing the controversy surrounding oil palm cultivation in Nagaland, said “There are many misgivings on social media comparing Nagaland to Malaysia or Indonesia. These narratives are different, and it’s important to understand our own context.”
He said that oil palm was introduced in the state as a pilot project in 2014-15. However, the government initially refrained from signing the MoU with the Union Ministry due to widespread environmental concerns.
After two years of careful study, he stated that MoU was signed in 2023, with the actual expansion to commence by this year only.
Acknowledging concerns of environmental groups, Kikon, however, said that the department must strike balance between ecological preservation and economic development.
He said that although funds were allocated under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), they have not been utilized in the last two years.
Earlier, the programme was chaired by agriculture joint director, Z Hukhato Sema, and welcome address was delivered by agriculture director, Sanuzo Nienu.
After the first session, an interaction session was held with scientists from ICAR-IIOPR including Dr K Manorama, Dr G Ravichandram, and Dr G Somasundaram.
Closing remarks for the workshop was delivered by agriculture production commissioner, Wezope Kenya, and vote of thanks by additional director, Benjamin Lotha.