RSPO to Build Awareness on Sustainable Oil Palm Ecosystem

The global organisation, which has over 5,400 members in 102 countries, has stated that it is attempting to avoid the environmental problems that countries such as Indonesia have encountered as they expanded oil palm cultivation. Industries, farmers, non-governmental organisations, and all other stakeholders in the oil palm ecosystem are among the members.

"In India, we already have 150 members. "We are in discussions with various governments to persuade them of the importance of pitching for sustainable oil palm development," Shivnayan Aggarwal, Executive (Market Transformation - India), told media.

The RSPO platform has approximately 4.80 million hectares of certified area and has certified over 15 million tonnes of oil. The RSPO certifies approximately 19% of all palm oil produced worldwide.

"RSPO certification is voluntary, but it is highly valued," he explained. He stated that India, the world's largest consumer and importer of palm oil, was an important market for the organisation. To reduce the burden of edible oil imports, the government plans to plant oil palm on 6.50 lakh hectares in 14 states over the next five years.

He believes that by increasing oil palm cultivation, India made a wise decision by making it a substitution crop rather than clearing forest land to make way for the oil crop.

According to the organisation, RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) reduces the impact of global warming by 35% when compared to non-certified palm oil.

The area managed by 1.60 lakh smallholder farmers accounts for approximately 4.60 lakh acres of the total area under RSPO certification. The total FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunches) certified for this group of farmers was approximately 83 lakh tonnes.

In 2018, the RSPO, in collaboration with the Centre for Responsible Business, the Rainforest Alliance, and WWF-India, launched the Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC) to promote sustainable consumption and trade of palm oil and its derivatives.

(Source: Business Line)