Six months left to resuscitate oil palm industry
Sri Lanka has only six months left to rescue its oil palm industry from near destruction unless authorities don’t give into popular pressure to disrupt possibilities of reducing edible oil imports by manufacturing locally.
The oil palm cultivation that commenced 50 years back is now facing pressure from local activists like the Rainforest Protectors along with villagers, clergy and local politicians. They are vehemently opposed to the plantation of the crop citing its adverse consequences on the water table of the areas and other factors, it was revealed at a media briefing held by the Planters Association at the body’s auditorium in Colombo on Wednesday.
Planters Association Chairman Sunil Poholiyadde insisted that they were carrying out legally approved crop diversification as per the terms of the lease agreements entered into with the government and the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs).
But now the industry that had imported seeds have plants in their nurseries for nearly two years worth Rs.400 million that they are unable to plant due to continued opposition from locals especially in Galle.
He noted that following cabinet approval for the plantation of 20, 000 hectares of the crop for the production of edible oil to be marketed for local consumption this could effectively reduce the imports of edible oils to the country.
The restrictions on the oil palm cultivation commenced about two years ago when locals were alleged to have physically destroyed oil palm plants on estates before they could be planted.
Watawala Plantations CEO Binesh Pananwala addressing the media noted that they were owners of the first plantation in Nakiyadeniya and said that this crop had no impact on environment and social life.
In fact, he explained that workers on oil palm plantations earn three times higher than their counterparts on the rubber estates averaging Rs.45,000 monthly.
“We have embarked on a sustainable oil palm cultivation so no deforestation and adverse impact on biodiversity, producing about 20,000 MT annually,” he said.
Currently the industry is producing these as edible oils for local consumption as the country spends nearly Rs.30 billion on 220, 000 MT of edible oil imports to the country annually.
In this respect, the oil palm industry believes they could address a sizeable amount of the local consumption thereby effectively reducing the import expenditure on this product.
Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake approached by the industry is yet to undertake the task of obtaining a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena to address this issue as the main concerns were raised by a Central Environmental Authority (CEA) led report that comes directly under the latter’s purview as the subject minister.
The said report not fully approved since it has been signed only by four of the seven involved in the drafting of it contains damaging allegations against the propagation of oil palm cultivation in Sri Lanka, according to Prof. Asoka Nugawela of the Faculty Agriculture and Plantation Management of the Wayamba University.