A new white paper, co-developed by Solidaridad Asia, The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India and the Asian Palm Oil Alliance, provides a comprehensive strategy to reduce India’s heavy reliance on palm oil imports, boost domestic production, and achieve up to 50% self-sufficiency by 2047, potentially saving trillions of dollars in import costs while enhancing farmer income and environmental sustainability.
To achieve the goal of self-sufficiency, the white paper Charting the Path to Palm Oil Self-Sufficiency in India suggests a five-point action plan.
- Catalyzing private sector partnerships: In India, private players already play a pivotal role owning 69 of the country’s 82 seed nurseries and operating 26 of the 32 processing mills. Strengthening public-private partnerships under the NMEO-OP, enabling investments in new nurseries, expanding processing capacity and supporting technology transfer can significantly boost production while improving market access for farmers.
- Targeting high-potential areas: Expand the coverage of the National Mission on Edible Oils Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) while simultaneously strengthening irrigation infrastructure and providing targeted support for rainfed regions, with a special focus on Northeast India.
- Repurposing low-return lands: Approximately 16.08 million hectares (mha) of marginal rice growing areas, identified as suitable for oil palm cultivation, can be utilized to enhance yields and overall returns.
- Enhancing productivity and efficiency in oil palm cultivation: A focused strategy is required to improve yields from the current 2.4 metric tonnes per hectare to 4-5 metric tonnes per hectare through the adoption of high quality planting material, improved agronomic practices and timely access to critical inputs.
- Creating an enabling ecosystem for oil palm cultivation: Strategic investments in rural road connectivity, fresh fruit bunch (FFB) collection systems, and processing facilities are required, particularly in the Northeastern states of India where infrastructure gaps remain a major constraint.