Introduction
India is the net importer of palm oil which constitutes about 80 per cent of the country’s total edible oil imports. India’s import of crude palm oil was estimated at 9 million tons in 2011-12 and Malaysia was the leading supplier of palm constituting over 20 per cent of the total imports.
There has been an impressive transformation of the Indian oilseed economy from a “net importer” status in the eighties to the “self-sufficient” and then a “net exporter” status during the early nineties and so it has been popularly termed as “Yellow Revolution”.The government of India plans on decreasing the overall imports and looks to promote more and more cultivation of Palm oil to decrease the dependence on foreign markets and make the country self-reliant.
Problems in Palm Oil Production
First, the long gestation period has played an important factor in the farmers opting out of palm oil cultivation. After sowing, there is a long wait of 4-5 years which can even extend further, before which the fruits can be cultivated to extract the oil.
This also comes with uncertainty as there is no guarantee that the product will be fit for oil extraction and the farmer will get a good price for their produce. The other major concern amongst the farmers is that Palm is a water-thirsty crop; on average it consumes 240 to 300 litres of water per palm per day (lpd), rising to 325 to 350 lpd in summer. In some areas, it has been claimed that farmers are forced to dig even deeper wells some ranging up to 900 feet deep.
Problem Faced by Andhra Pradesh Farmers
Andhra Pradesh, one of the major growers of Palm oil has started to show less interest in it as the farmers have shifted from palm oil to traditional crops like corn, paddy etc. This disinterest in the cultivation of Palm oil has been driven by a lot of key factors and issues that are being faced at the ground level by these farmers.
The recommended average rainfall for palm cultivation is 2500 mm annually, whereas the maximum average rainfall received in Andhra was 1018 mm in the year 2013. Also, the rise in the ocean water level has increased the salinity in the aquifers in the coastal areas of the state of which 7 districts cultivate Palm intensively.
The farmers used pesticides like Carbaryl, Methyl parathion or phosphamidon to control rhinoceros beetles and mealybug respectively that are specified by the booklet issued by the Indian Institute of Palm Oil Research (IIOPR), but India’s Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage has banned the use of these chemicals as they have shown to have concerning effects.
Why Farmers opting out Palm Cultivation
Scientists and officials also point out that Palm is a nutrient loving crop that needs lots of nutrients in order to show good cultivation and this has increased the input cost of the farmers as the cost of fertilizers has significantly increased in the past few years.
The marketing problem has also risen in the state as there were 13 private and 2 government-owned oil palm mills of which the one in Srikakulam district has shut down operations.
This has left the palm cultivators of the district no option but to revert to traditional crops like paddy, corn etc. This is because there is no sound logistical support so as to reach the mills in other districts and no crushing unit.
Conclusion
From the Farmer’s perspective, the water problem can be considered by adopting drip irrigation instead of the traditionally used flood irrigation. Also, the construction of a water harvesting system along with a proper drainage system will be fruitful in the long run.
To solve the issue of weeds and pests, IIOPR has promoted intercropping Palm with plants such as Cacao, bush pepper, Eliconia psittacorum and Alpinia pupurata which not only stop infestation but also economically important crops as they can be sold to earn some extra cash.
The government needs to push organic means of cultivating Palm as it will not decrease the input cost but will also replenish the soil with nutrients and increase the sustainability of the ecosystem. There is also a need to understand the areas that are suitable for palm cultivation, as it is a water and nutrient guzzling crop the northeastern region of India will be a more suitable region for its cultivation.
Cultivation of Palm Oil must be promoted there as it will benefit the farmers in the long run and justify the name it was given “GOLDEN CROP’