Speakers at the workshop on ‘Sustainable oil palm
cultivation in Nagaland: Challenges and opportunities’.
DIMAPUR — Stepping
up the initiative on cultivation of oil palm and implementation of National
Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) in Nagaland, the state’s Agriculture
department on Friday organised a workshop on ‘Sustainable oil palm cultivation
in Nagaland: Challenges and opportunities’ at Agri Expo, Chümoukedima district.
Setting the context for the workshop, Deputy Director of
Agriculture Ronchamo Kikon said there have been misgivings on social media and
personal campaigns against oil palm cultivation in the state, citing
environmental concerns.
While appreciating the legitimate environmental concerns
from NGOs, Kikon also noted that some have questioned the department's
implementation of the scheme, suggesting that it’s driven by a desire to avail
centrally sponsored funds.
Stating that the department started oil palm cultivation in
2014-15 on a pilot project basis, he said the prime minister gave a big push to
the initiative under NMEO-OP in 2021.
However, due to various concerns, the government of Nagaland
did not sign the Memorandum of Understanding for Viability Gap Payment (VGP)
immediately.
“To implement this programme, we needed to immediately sign
the MoU with the Ministry, especially for VGP. The programme started in 2021
but after careful study on benefits of the farmers and the economic uplift of
rural population and, of course, the progressive farmers and considering all
these for two years, we signed the MoU in 2023. So people cannot just say we
are implementing this to use the central funds,” Kikon said.
He disclosed that the real expansion would begin this year
and that the department hadn't utilised allocated funds over the past two years
due to slow expansion.
“We received one, two instalments last year, and this year
we have not received even one instalment,” he said, emphasising that the
department's efforts were not driven by central funding.
Maintaining that any agricultural development would inevitably
intrude on the forest, Kikon said that the department was trying its best to
achieve the balance between sustainability and livelihood.
Director of Agriculture, Sanuzo Neinu, said that the state
is targeting 15,000 hectares for oil palm cultivation over five years (2021-22
to 2025-26) using a cluster approach in the foothill areas. This will be done
sustainably, he said, without disturbing natural forests and biodiversity,
across two zones: Zone I (Peren, Dimapur, Chümoukedima, Niuland, and Wokha) and
Zone II (Mokokchung, Longleng, and Mon).
He informed that the department has covered 6053 hectares
across the state, with 1126.91 hectares at the fruit-bearing stage.
The director disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding
was signed in January 2023 between the state government and two private
entities—Godrej Agrovet Private Limited (GAVL) for Zone I and Patanjali Foods
Ltd (formerly Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd) for Zone II—for development and
expansion of oil palm cultivation and processing under NMEO-OP.
Affirming that it is the “burning desire of the state” to
create employment opportunities, Nienu said the cultivation of oil palm as a
high-value crop with higher economic returns per hectare with VGF offered by
Gol under NMEO-OP would be a boon to subsistence farmers in comparison to
growing other oilseed and plantation crops.
“Two nurseries have been established—one at Tuli and the
other at Niuland. Another two nurseries are in the process of being set up at
Tizit and Chümoukedima. Till today, buyback of around 200 MT of Fresh Fruit
Bunches (FFBs) has been completed by both the implementing partners.
“We have covered around 630 hectares of plantation during
2024-25. Plantations for 2025-26 have commenced from the month of May,” he
updated.
Making palm oil ‘sustainable’
Deputy Director of Market Transformation and head of the
India-China Region Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Ashwin Selvaraj,
who stressed sustainable oil palm plantations and best practices in the
environment, noted that oil palm yields 35% of global vegetable oils using
under 10% of allocated land. According to Selvaraj, oil palm requires only 0.26
hectares to produce 1 tonne of palm oil, significantly less than other oil
crops like sunflower, soybean, and rapeseed.
Palm oil production, however, comes with a number of
sustainability risks, including deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and
loss of biodiversity, he said.
Another risk is the social impact, as palm oil production
has been linked to social issues like displacement of indigenous communities
and unfair labour practices, he added.
To ensure that it is produced in a sustainable manner, he
said that RSPO, a partnership for progress and positive impact, facilitates
global change to make the production and consumption of palm oil sustainable.
Principal Scientist at ICAR-Indian Institute of Oil Palm
Research, Dr. K Manorama, highlighted that as the highest oil-producing crop,
oil palm's economic life span is very long, i.e., 25-30 years.
Additionally, oil palm cultivation is less labour-intensive
with assured marketing facilities, year-round income, intercropping options and
low pest problems.
Regarding the ‘myth’ surrounding water consumption by oil
palm cultivation, she clarified that oil palm primarily utilises water from the
upper root zone, relying on rainwater and surface water.
A study has also proven that oil palm cultivation doesn't
threaten the sustainability of water sources in Indonesia, she said.
“Myths are often rooted in global contexts, not always
applicable to India. NE India presents a unique opportunity for
climate-resilient, sustainable cultivation. With the right practices, oil palm
can be a boon in NE India, not a threat,” Manorama added.
