Sri Lanka is the only country in the world to ban Oil Palm and steps should be taken to correct this as it could usher huge economic benefits to the country, said President, Rohan M Fernando, Palm Oil Industry Association (POIA) at their 5th Annual General Meeting yesterday.
Based on baseless allegations against Oil Palm, the plantations were banned by the government under Gotabaya Rajapaksa and we have countered all the negative allegations that have come against oil palm.
“If not for the ban, the country would have benefited by producing at least 50% of the edible oil demand by the year 2025 and saving millions of dollars used for imports. Had Oil Palm cultivation been expanded, Sri Lankan coconut products could have been exported, earning valuable foreign exchange to the country by value addition and meeting the domestic demand for edible oil through Palm Oil.”
The Government of Sri Lanka continues to give preferential treatment to coconut oil whilst discouraging the cultivation of oil palm. This is despite the examples of India, Malaysia and Indonesian economies benefiting from Oil palm and helping those countries specially in improving poverty alleviation.
It must be reiterated that those responsible for banning Oil palm may not entirely agree that it was an ill-conceived ad hoc decision, not based on any scientific evidence, and purely taken to satisfy the needs of a few personalities who were close to the former administrators.
“Many believe that at least the issue should have been examined carefully with advice from experts, before hastily imposing the ban. Our Association has provided compelling economic evidence to demonstrate how the ban on palm oil has affected the local economy, including the loss of jobs and increased costs for consumers.”
“Our representation to the Ministry of Plantation Industries and other Government authorities resulted in a joint cabinet paper being submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Mahaweli Development.Despite the authorities accepting the fact that palm oil is NOT harmful to the environment and is one positive way to address rural poverty, the ban on Oil Palm remains.”
“In this regard we have presented to the government how rural poverty could be addressed by diversifying uneconomical lands in the wet zone to palm oil cultivation. I can say with confidence that the efforts of the Association are beginning to see fruitful results and we are confident that there will be light at the end of the tunnel under the new administration as food security, enhancing nutrition, poverty alleviation and achieving zero hunger are some of the key objectives of the new administration. Lifting the Oil Palm ban will help towards this crusade.”
“Indian Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi is working on an accelerated expansion program of Oil Palm cultivation and has mandated India to plant up to 3.0 Mn hectares of palm oil, as a strategy for import substitution. India is one of the largest consumers of Palm Oil in the world and its demand for palm oil will double by the year 2030.
Shirajiv Sirimane