Lok Sabha Question No. 4007 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Ecological Impact of Oil Palm Plantation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Pradyut Bordoloi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO. 4007

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 28.03.2022

## Ecological Impact of Oil Palm Plantation

## 4007. SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Indian  Council  of  Forestry  Research  &  Education  (ICFRE)  in  2020 recommended avoiding oil palm in biodiversity-rich areas without detailed studies on its ecological impact, if so, the reasons therefor;
- (b) the  reasons  for  the  Government  merging  the  ICFRE's  proposed  study  with  Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in January 2021;
- (c) the details of the ICAR-IIOPR feasibility report that support the proposal for oil palm plantations  in  rich  biodiverse  areas  of  the  North  East  and  Andaman  and  Nicobar Islands;
- (d) whether the Government intends to exempt oil palm plantations from the definition of 'non-forest  purpose'  and  thereby  from  forest  clearance  through  amendments  to  the Forest Conservation Act 1980, if so, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the Government is aware that shifting cultivation landscapes (jhum lands) are extremely rich in biodiversity; and
- (f) if  so,  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  ecological  effects  of  diverting  jhum lands in the North Eastern Region for oil palm plantations and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) On the direction of Hon'ble Supreme Court, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education,  Dehradun  (ICFRE)  had  submitted  a  report  on  4th  January,  2020,  which suggested the need to conduct multi - disciplinary studies to comprehend invasiveness of  Red  Oil  Palm,  ecological  impacts,  development  of  inter-cropping  models  with suitable indigenous species.
- (b) Further more, ICFRE with inputs from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) filed a detailed report 'Replanting of the Existing Red Oil Palm Plantation in Little Andaman' on 19th June, 2021.
- (c) As per information received from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, the  Reassessment  Committee  of  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  and  Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (ICAR-IIOPR) has conducted a study in the year 2020 to
- assess the potential area in 22 States/UTs and identified 27.99 lakh ha potential area for Oil  Palm  cultivation  in  India  including  North-Eastern  States  and  the  Andaman  and Nicobar Islands. (d) Oil Palm Plantation is considered as non-forestry activity. All activities on forest land require forest clearance under Forest Conservation Act 1980. (e) Shifting Cultivations (Jhum Cultivation) is a traditional and primitive farming of small ethnic groups of the country. The  Reassessment  Committee  of  ICAR-IIOPR,  2020  identified  land  suitable  for  oil palm  cultivation  under  irrigated  and  rainfed  condition  taking  into  account  various

******

- (f) parameters.