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.

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.

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.

Oil Palm Plantation is considered as non-forestry activity. All activities on forest land require forest clearance under Forest Conservation Act 1980.

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 parameters.

This information was given by Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in Lok Sabha today.

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BY/IG