Growing demand for palm oil in India is threatening wildlife in Indonesia and Malaysia, a study released by WWF India said.
According to the report, India is the fourth largest oilseed producing country and the world’s largest importer of palm oil and nearly 73 per cent of India’s demand for palm oil is supplied by Indonesia.
It stated that this has resulted in Indonesia and Malaysia, witnessing almost a third of forest loss in the last 10 years due to the expansion of oil palm.
According to estimates, edible oil demand in India has been growing a CAGR of 4.4 per cent in the past 11 years which has been fuelled by improvement in per capita consumption.
Though the report pointed out that the current per capital consumption levels of India are lower than global averages.
Also, India is the world’s largest consumer of palm oil with 23 per cent of the global consumption in 2011-12.
In 2011-12 alone, India imported as much as 7.2 million tonnes of palm oil.
Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF India, in a statement said, “When forests shrink, so does the home of endangered species, such as the tiger, rhino, elephant and orangutan —species which are now on the brink of extinction. 15 per cent of all human-induced GHG emissions are caused by deforestation, forest degradation and peatland emissions.”
Adam Harrison, Senior Policy Officer - Food and Agriculture, WWF, said that when forests that are vital to communities are cleared people lose their land and other livelihoods and believed that the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is the best answer.
The report stated that to avoid contributing to deforestation and social problems, palm oil producers, users and traders need to move towards sustainable palm oil.
Darrel Webber, Secretary General of the RSPO said that , “The current consumption of palm oil in India well corresponds with the existing production volume of RSPO certified sustainable palm oil which stands at more than 8 million tonne, which is progressively increasing. This means India is ready to play its part by establishing commitments and policies that will allow the nation and the industry to ensure sustainable provision of certified sustainable palm oil along its supply chain.”