Take up measures to mitigate probable negative impacts of oil palm cultivation, says PFA Manipur
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 15 2022:
In connection with the State Government's initiative to take up oil palm cultivation under National Mission on Edible Oil - Oil Palm (NMEO - OP), People for Animals Manipur has called for certain precautions to mitigate the probable negative impacts of oil palm cultivation.
Some of these include registration of oil palm cultivators, purchasing produce of only registered oil palm cultivators and monitoring oil palm cultivation sites through satellite imaging to ensure that they do not encroach upon forest land etc.
A statement issued by L Biswajeet Meitei, Managing Trustee, People for Animals Manipur has said that it would be in everybody's interest if the oil palm cultivation sites remain confined to the assigned farmlands and do not encroach upon the State's natural green cover.
According to ICAR-Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research, one hectare of land can grow only 143 oil palm trees.
This means that a cultivator will increasingly need more land to carry on oil palm cultivation, the statement added.
Aside from this, one oil palm needs around 230 litres of water per day in order to bear a bountiful harvest.
In countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia, Thailand and Nigeria, oil palm cultivation has wreaked havoc on the ecosystem and put many endangered animals at risk, it asserted.
The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has also declared that oil palm cultivation will impact 54% of all endangered species of mammals and 64% of all endangered species of birds across the globe.
The statement further opined that all involved parties must take caution in undertaking oil palm cultivation as Manipur has been classified as a biodiversity hotspot.
People for Animals has also expressed the need for stringent regulations in terms of preserving the natural environment going forward.