Sustainable Palm Oil Key To Combating Deforestation

For decades, palm oil has been synonymous with deforestation, most notably in places like Malaysia, but all that is changing with the adoption of sustainable palm oil. 

Palm oil is a ubiquitous ingredient that is found in everything from biscuits to lipstick, soaps, detergents, and even ice cream, as well as being used as biofuel. We really can’t do without it, whether it’s for edible or non-edible purposes.

Besides, palm oil is a highly productive crop, yielding far more than other vegetable oils at a lower cost of production. It also requires less water than crops like sugarcane and rice, offering farmers a reliable income source, and in fact, takes significantly less amount of fertiliser, pesticides, and energy inputs as well.

In support of a more sustainable future, we can take inspiration from Malaysian oil palm corporations, which have taken positive action, with nearly 83 percent of palm oil refining capacity now operating under a ‘No Deforestation, Peat, and Exploitation (NDPE)' commitment. As such, deforestation in Malaysia has been trending lower for some time, with Global Forest Watch in June 2023 reporting a sharp reduction in forest loss, showing that reversing deforestation is achievable. Positive government action has continued in more recent years with a plantation area cap established in 2019 through 2023 and new forestry laws enacted in 2022 to stiffen penalties for illegal logging.

India is following a similar strategy. For instance, instead of forest lands, only cultivable land of individual farmers in agro-ecologically suitable regions is being recommended, mainly as a replacement for rice cultivation. Moreover, the annual biomass productivity of oil palm amounts to 50 tonnes during its 30-year life span, which could serve as an effective carbon sink to protect the environment by arresting global warming.

Globally, certifications such as the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) define and promote implementation of better practices for sustainable palm oil production by encouraging companies to use certified sustainable palm oil in their products. This ethos resonates with the United Nations’ climate change convention, which emphasised that ending deforestation will be critical to achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, sustainably certified palm oil is found to generate about 35 percent less emissions than conventional palm oil. This is partly also due to treatment of palm oil mill effluents, which are ahead on methane capture technology.

In terms of land use, there is no alternative to palm oil, as it is capable of yielding 4-5 tonnes of oil per hectare per year, which is higher than any other vegetable oil crop. To put that into perspective, because of its high yield, palm oil requires around one-ninth the amount of land that substitutes like rapeseed, olive oil, and soybean require. To keep pace with growing food demand would require 36 million hectares of additional oil palm land globally, whereas soybean, the second most popular oil crop, would need 204 million more hectares. 

While mindful palm oil cultivation can actively counteract the effects of deforestation, it can also serve to utilise degraded land productively. This also goes towards meeting broader environmental goals. Moreover, oil palm has been wrongly perceived as a monoculture. Intercropping of annual crops during the initial four years when the oil palm trees are yet to bear fruit successfully conserves land resources and is ultimately better adapted to climate change.

Eco-friendly practices such as adopting renewable energy, using methane capture technologies in mills, and not depending on chemical fertilisers lead to a lower carbon footprint. Therefore, it stands to reason that calling for the boycott of this ubiquitous and versatile edible oil is not the solution. If done responsibly, sustainable palm oil can meet the massive global demand for edible oils as well as align with larger climate goals.

(The author is Former Additional Commissioner (Oilseeds) Dept. of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GOI.)