Shifting 16.08 mn hectares paddy land to oil palm can lower India’s imports
A white paper suggests India convert 16.08 million hectares of marginal paddy land to oil palm cultivation to cut import dependence. With improved yields of 4–5 tonnes per hectare and supportive infrastructure, research, and private-sector participation, India could achieve up to 50% palm oil self-sufficiency by 2047.
India should consider repurposing around 16.08 million hectares of marginal paddy-growing land and use it for cultivating oil palm to reduce dependence on imports, said a white paper released on Friday.
A “focussed strategy” should improve oil palm yields from 2.4 tonnes per hectare to 4-5 tonnes, said the paper titled ‘Path to Palm Oil Self-Sufficiency in India’. It recommended how India can reduce its reliance on palm oil imports, boost domestic production, and achieve up to 50 per cent self-sufficiency by 2047.
Solidaridad Asia, a civil society organisation, prepared the paper in collaboration with The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India and Asian Palm Oil Alliance, two prominent industry groups.
The white paper said the government should create an enabling ecosystem to support oil palm cultivation through strategic investments in rural roads, fresh fruit bunch collection systems, and processing facilities, particularly in the northeastern states where infrastructure gaps remain a major constraint.
It added that the private sector, which plays a pivotal role in the oil palm industry by owning 69 of the country’s 82 seed nurseries and operating 26 of the 32 processing mills, should be strengthened further.
The paper also recommended bolstering research through regional centres of the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research, adoption of regenerative agriculture, and integration of certification- and practice-based models in India to improve soil health, strengthen ecosystem services, and facilitate the successful integration of smallholder farmers into value chains.
India, the world’s largest importer of palm oil, sourced 8.9 million metric tonnes in 2023, accounting for 21 per cent of global imports, while domestic output met less than 5 per cent of demand.
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Source : Business Standard
