- Kerala was the first Indian state to launch large-scale oil palm cultivation in 1971.
- The south Indian state plans to double its area under oil palm cultivation in the next five years.
- The state faces palm oil production infrastructure issues with only one palm oil processing unit in the state in Kollam district.
- As palm oil plantations are set to expand, the plan also raises questions about forest cover, biodiversity, and the water security of the state.
Kerala was the first Indian state to launch large-scale oil palm cultivation in 1971. The south Indian state is now planning to boost its palm oil plantation and production.
India is the world’s top importer and the second-largest consumer of palm oil. It gets over 90% of its palm oil supply through imports from Indonesia and Malaysia. To reduce dependency on imports, the Indian government has planned to expand oil palm plantations in the country and boost local palm oil production.
Currently, there’s only one processing unit in Kerala which becomes a bottleneck in the palm oil processing infrastructure in the state. As palm oil plantations are set to expand, the plan also raises questions about forest cover, biodiversity, and the water security of the state.
But palm oil fields are monoculture plantations that can impact biodiversity, groundwater levels and cause other environmental issues.
Banner image: Palm oil nursery in Kollam, Kerala. Photo by S R Niranjan.
