Think Twice Before Buying a Packet of Palm Oil….

  
     We the Indians love our traditional cuisine. Every state has own culinary and choice of cooking oil. For instance, South Indians prefer coconut oil, mustard oil is widely used in Eastern India, sunflower and soybean oil are mostly used in western India and mustard oil, rice bran oil are used in North India. But, nowadays palm oil is widely used in all over India either single source of edible oil or in a blended form.  India is the largest importer of palm oil, driving 23% of total global demand. In any packet or bottle of ‘Vegetable Oil,’ you may find 60% of palm oil. The cheap brands of mustard oils also mix 40% of palm oil. Palm oil is cheaper than the traditional edible oil and widely used in the restaurant business. The companies which import palm oil are lobbing different government institutions, media to promote this edible oil. These companies also have ties with supermarket chains for the same. The oil brands solely owned by the supermarkets are mostly blending palm oil with mustard oil or rice bran oil or soybean oil. The oil which contains 60% of palm oil is sold as ‘Vegetable Oil’ and the 40% mixture, is sold as conventional edible oil. Without knowing this fact people are buying palm oil in the name of vegetable oil or their preferred edible oil at a cheaper price. Seemingly, palm oil is cheap, it’s environmental cost enormous.

    Europe is the second-largest consumer of palm oil after India. It is not widely used as cooking oil there. In Europe, palm oil is mostly used in processed food and toiletry goods. In 10^th  April 2018, the biggest supermarket chain of Brittan, ‘Iceland’ announced that they would not use palm oil to produce their own branded food item in consideration of ongoing destruction of tropical rainforests in south-east Asia. “Until Iceland can guarantee palm oil is not causing rainforest destruction, we are simply saying ‘no to palm oil’,” said Richard Walker, Iceland managing director during his visit to Borneo in November 2017. The supermarket company also promised that by the end of 2018, 100% of its own brand food lines would be free from palm oil, reducing demand by more than 500 tons per year. Iceland has made further headlines, after releasing the advertisement in collaboration with Greenpeace.  The commercial advertisement featured a cartoon orangutan who is mourning the loss of its home in the rainforest. More interestingly, the commercial was voiced by the eminent actress Emma Thompson.  But the advertisement was banned immediately after the controversy of political impartiality.  The ban boosted attention on the issue. The worldwide debates have been starting on the impact of palm oil and environmental degradation.  However, Iceland received huge publicity and that improves their balance sheet too. As per the statement of Greenpeace; the advertisement has been watched more than 30 million times online. 

      

The commercial advertisement of 'Iceland'. Courtesy: YouTube 

 Reactions of Malaysia and Indonesia:

                This was shocking news for the world’s two biggest (83%) palm oil-producing nations, Indonesia and Malaysia. They have reportedly asked the British government to take necessary action on the supermarket chain ‘Iceland’.   The Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for International Development (DID) of Britain replied that ‘Iceland’ is a private company and the British Government did not encourage them for this decision. Moreover, the Malaysian governments complained about the animated add campaigned of ‘Iceland’.  Teresa Kok, Malaysia’s primary industries minister, said: “We will not be cowed or stand by idly when nasty advertisements by Iceland mislead people in markets that are crucial to us. We will fight back with facts from scientifically researched data.” British diplomats warned the UK government backing a proposed EU ban on imports of palm oil could hamper the bilateral relationship with two nations. And, Malaysia could cancel the multi-million-pound deal of British Typhoon fighter jet. After this, the spokesperson of ‘Iceland’ declared that “We have never called for an outright boycott of palm oil. We are not anti-palm oil, we are anti-deforestation.” This obviously indicates the political pressure on the supermarket chain. There is no doubt that palm oil production is causing deforestation. But before analyzing this fact, we must understand the uses of this oil, its plantation history and trade volume too. 

Uses of Palm Oil:

   Over the last two or three decades, the use of palm oil has been scored high.  Palm oil is widely used edible oil in the world and its demand substantially increasing. In Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinents and Africa, palm oil is used for cooking in raw or semi-refined form. But in Europe and America, the refined form is mostly preferred. The refined palm oil is odourless, pale yellow liquid. It is an important ingredient for a variety of food products such as bakery, confectionery, chocolates, ice cream, and margarine and baby food.  

    Fig: Refined Palm Oil

    Courtesy: cleanmalaysia.com 

The fat (fatty acid) is essential for the soap making process or saponification. Animal fats are restricted for religious reasons in various part of the world. But bio-oils are universally accepted. Oil Palm is made up of Palmitic Acid, Oleic Acid, and Linoleic Acid, amongst other fatty acids at lower levels. The Palmitic Acid provides some hardness to the soaps when saponified, and the Oleic and Linoleic Acid provide softness. Once saponified, Palm Oil produces ‘Sodium Palmate’ with the reaction of Sodium Hydroxide. Actually, palm oil is very useful to reduce the alkalinity of soap. So, it is widely used in various toiletries and cosmetic products such as soap, shampoo, face wash, face pack, conditioners, serum, etc.

Plantation History of Oil Palm in Indonesia and Malaysia:

  Palm oil is extracted from three species, primarily from African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), to a lesser amount from the American Oil palm (Elaeis oleifera) and Maripa palm (Attalea maripa). The African oil palm is also known as macaw-fat, native to west and south-west of Africa between Angola and Guinea.  In 15th-century oil palm was mostly harnessed from the wild environment of West Africa’s tropical rainforests. It was used for soups and baked dishes by small farmers. Portuguese discovered the crop during the expeditions to Africa.

            This species was spread over several tropical countries of Indo-Pacific region by colonial superpowers. In the 1830s few Oil Palm trees were planted at the botanic garden, Calcutta. Then trial plantation was started later in Kerala. In 1848 four oil palm seeds were brought to Botanic Gardens in Bogor, Java. Around 1870, the Dutch oil palm investors in Indonesia received a huge amount of lands for oil palm plantation. In 1911 Indonesia’s first commercial oil palm plant was set up in Sumatra. Indonesia’s plantation system was boosted after independence in 1945. The second President of Indonesia, Suharto, made direct investments through state-owned companies with the assistance of the World Bank.

   F. H Fauconnier planted oil palms at Tennamaram Estate, after purchasing seeds from Sumatra in 1912. It was Malaysia’s first commercial oil palm plantation area. After the independence (1957), the newly formed Malaysian Government focused on plantation economy. In 1961, Federal Land Development Authority (a Malaysian government agency,  handles resettlement in cash crops grown areas) developed first oil palm settlement, with only 3.75 km² of land. After 2000, it controls 6855.2 km² (76% of Malaysia) of land for oil palm plantation. Now it is the largest oil palm production company of the world. 

Production and Trade:

     In 2018 both Indonesia and Malaysia produced 83.3 % of the global supply of palm oil. In 2018, Indonesia exported 54.60% of global palm oil production (US$16.5 billion) and Malaysia 28.70% ($8.7 billion). State economy of these two countries highly depended on palm oil production. Majority of the oil palm estates are located in Borneo Island of both Indonesia and Malaysia. On the other side, India largest importer of Indonesia and Malaysian palm oil and European nations are second. In 2017-18, India spent US $6,774 million (Rs 45,917 crore) for importing palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia. Other important consumers are China, U.S.A, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Arab nations. 

   Importance of Rain Forests:

       Almost all types of oil palm trees grow in those areas that were once covered with tropical rain forests. The rain forests are the ‘Bio-Diversity Hubs’. It shelters various types of flora and fauna. Their interaction with Mother Nature creates a symbiotic relationship that promotes a sustainable environment. The herbs of the forests have medicinal values. The rainforest acts as the lungs of our planet. A huge amount of carbon dioxides and other toxic greenhouse gasses are absorbed by the rainforests and release fresh oxygen.  It also helps to normalize the world climate reducing greenhouse effects. Different researches suggest that distributions of precipitation, air mass are also regulated by these forests. The rain forests check soil erosion, flood and drought events. It also positively influenced the global water cycle. Moreover, these forests are the home of some unique tribal groups. Their life, livelihoods are very much associated with the forests. 

  Picture: Danum Valley Rain Forest, Borneo. 

Courtesy: Thomas Marent.

Issues of Oil Palm Plantation in Indonesia and Malaysia:  

    As per the studies of the Greenpeace (2017) across 20 countries, shows significant loss of rain forest. They used high-resolution Landsat and Google Earth images. Then they correlate the results with the FAO statistics of country-wise oil palm plantation area. Greenpeace found that 45% of the oil palm plantation area of Malaysia and Indonesia came from the areas that were rain forests in 1989. In the case of South American countries, this percentage is 31 and for Africa, the observed percentage is only 7. The largest vulnerable forests are in South America and Southeast Asia. This forest contains a high concentration of reptiles, birds, and mammal species at risk of extension. Biodiversity is under serious threats and ecological balance lost in several areas.  

   An excavator at the rainforest’s edge, Indragiri Hulu, Indonesia 

    Courtesy: Greenpeace

      Another team studied surface temperature for various types of land cover, such as forests, clear-cut land, and cash crops, in the Jambi province of Sumatra. They used satellite data collected between 2000 and 2015 by the NASA Landsat missions and the MODIS instrument, as well as data collected on the ground. They found that clear-cut land, which is mainly used for agriculture, was up to 10 °C warmer than forests. They had also noticed that mature palm oil plantations were about 0.8 °C warmer than forests, while young palm oil plantations were 6 °C warmer. "Young palm oil plantations have fewer and smaller leaves and an open canopy, thus they transpire less water. Also, the soil receives more solar radiation and dries out faster," explains Clifton Sabajo, a PhD student and member of the team. So, it can be said that oil palm plantation is very much responsible for global warming.

Timelapse of Borneo deforestation 2000-2017. Green to white = forest loss, green to black = forest cleared and converted to plantations in the same year, green to blue= forest permanently flooded by hydropower dams.   

                                                         (Source: forestsnews.cifor.org )

                                Picture: Deforestation for Oil Palm Field,  South Kalimantan, Malaysia 

  Courtesy:  Big Spoon Roasters 

There were 300,000 animals found either displaced, dead or injured only in Borneo (both Malaysian and Indonesian side) and Sumatra (Indonesia) during the deforestation. Rapid deforestation also exposes the wildlife to the poachers and smugglers. The smugglers capture animals for sell or kill them to collect their body parts. It was found that over 50, 000 thousand orangutans have already died over the last two decades in both countries. Generally, mother orangutans are killed by poachers to capture their babies. Other animals such as Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sun Bear, Pygmy Elephant, Clouded Leopard, and Proboscis Monkey, etc are also endangered. New roads have been constructed within the rain forest for the oil palm plantation. These roads increase the accessibility for the poachers and making wildlife more vulnerable.

Picture: A forest ranger carrying an unconscious orangutan 
from deforested land in Indonesian Borneo.

Courtesy: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

  

Picture: Rescued Baby Orangutan from Deforested 

Area of  Malaysian Borneo. 

                                                            Courtesy: Greenpeace

  Oil palm plantations have promoted development activities in rural regions of Borneo and Sumatra.  But, it also has devastating impacts on indigenous populations.  Malaysian and Indonesian government have leased huge land to the corporate companies for their own financial benefits without considering the interests of the natives. The oil palm plantation is gradually destroying the forest economies. Once, the tribal groups depended on forest non-timber products, have no choice but to become plantation workers. Now, these people are living in hostile conditions with low income far away from basic amenities. The traditional food, beverage, and medicines of the local people have been destroyed or reduced alarmingly. This plantation economy is also linked with several human right violations, including child labour.  Children have to suffer from heat exhaustion, cuts, and blisters while climbing the thorny oil palm trees. Children are forced to carry a huge load of ripe fruits, they have to span long times for minimum wages. Overall the native groups are suffering by the adverse effect of deforestation.  

Picture: A Child Labour in Plantation Field, Indonesian Borneo 

Courtesy:  Big Spoon Roasters 

India’s Plane for Self Reliable and Potential Impacts:

    The import of palm oil was almost doubled just between 2007 and 2010. Majority of this was used as cooking oil. In 2017-18, India spent US $6,774 million (Rs 45,917 crore) for importing palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia. Now, India is planning to be self-reliable in oil palm production. Under the Special Programme on Oil Palm Area Expansion, the Indian government is making an aggressive push for domestic palm oil production capacity by 300,000 metric tons within five years. These efforts involve huge subsidies to farmers in 9 states. 
                                                      

State	Potential Area in ha
Andhra Pradesh	4,00,000
Chhattisgarh	40,000
Gujarat	90,000
Karnataka	2,50,000
Kerala	6,500
Goa	2,000
Mizoram	61,000
Orissa	25,000
Tamil Nadu	1,62,000

Source: Special Programme on Oil Palm Area Expansion, 2013Table: the Potential States for Oil Palm Plantation 

     These states are mostly located in Western Ghat regions, North-Eastern India and the Eastern Ghats regions. But these regions are famous for their enriched biodiversity and home of indigenous tribal groups. Such measures have already led to the loss of 17,500 hectares of community-managed forest in the state of Mizoram. The accelerated production of oil palm will cause mass destruction of biodiversity in our country.

Map: The potential States for Oil Palm Plantation
Source: Author 

  In India, oil palm plantation is mostly developed in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Mizoram. These plantation fields are maintained by individual farmers and area of the field comparatively smaller.  The palm tree requires 4-6 years for the productive phase. Like other perennial tree crops, oil palm requires regular pruning of fronds, weeding and watering. So, the initial maintenance cost is huge that cannot be afforded by small farmers. Not only that the oil palm market is extremely volatile. The market trends show prices have risen and fallen by up to 50 percent over the past 15 years. So, the corporate companies are grabbing the lands and farmers becoming landless labourers. So, there are huge socio-economic problems with this plantation economy that could affect state politics too.

What is our duty? & what can we do? 

                                            Answer:  Just say ‘no to Palm Oil’.

                               

     Europeans are aware of the environmental issues of oil palm plantation. Very soon Europe will replace palm oil in this regard. But, as the largest consumer of this oil, Indian Government and people are the least concern of this. Our approach is just opposite to the European Union. It appears that India has not learned any lessons from the experiences of Indonesia and Malaysia.  Nowadays, conservation is not only an issue or policy, a practice. The results of deforestation are being experienced across the globe due to the increase of temperature and loss of biodiversity. In European nations, the consumers are forcing companies towards deforestation-free production system. They are protesting against the reduction of tropical rain forest for palm oil production. It has been noticed that public awareness, government regulation, and voluntary market initiatives can restrict the vulnerable production system and protect biodiversity. So, we must rise of voice against ‘Special Programme on Oil Palm Area Expansion’ of the Government of India. We should aware the society about the threats of palm oil production. There is no doubt that India requires self-sufficiency in edible oils. But oil palm is not the solution rather it will boost a series of other problems. Traditionally we have huge varieties of edible oil. Production systems of these oils are also eco-friendly. So, we should restrict the use of palm oil or cheap blended oils and show our responsibilities for a ‘Greener World’.  Otherwise, the whole world will blame us for the extinction of tropical rain forest.

      Picture Courtesy: Orangutan Foundation