HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, Dec 19: The Nagaland agricultural department endorsed the need for broad-based consultations with stakeholders on oil palm cultivation in the state to ensure transparent public engagement and critical deliberations.
Advisor to agriculture department Mhathung Yanthan issued a press statement in this regard following concerns raised by the Nagaland Community Conserved Areas Forum (NCCAF) and other individuals and organisations on oil palm cultivation in the state recently.
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“These concerns can neither be ignored nor oversimplified,” he said.
Appreciating their commitment to safeguarding Nagaland’s ecological and social integrity, he said their suggestions for fostering a transparent and informed dialogue on the long-term implications of oil palm cultivation were highly valued.
He said the process would address the long-term environmental impacts of not only oil palm cultivation but also other plantation and field crops, including biodiversity conservation and water security.
He informed that the state government through the agriculture department had been promoting palm oil cultivation under the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), recognising its potential for economic uplift of farmers, improving rural livelihoods, and boosting the state’s agricultural economy.
However, he said such initiatives must be pursued with sensitivity to the unique socio-environmental landscape of the state.
Yanthan also stressed that the raised concerns required a holistic, participatory, and evidence-based approach that considered the perspectives of farmers, environmental experts, civil society organisations, and local communities.
Further, he asserted that any developmental intervention must adhere to the principles of sustainability, inclusiveness, and ecological balance.
He recalled that the agriculture department introduced oil palm cultivation in the state in 2015-16 after a careful study of its economic, social, and environmental impacts, with a target of covering approximately 15,000 hectares in the jhum fallow areas.
He added that the department is in constant consultation with several globally renowned sustainable oil palm groups.
While clarifications had been issued on various “myths and facts” surrounding oil palm cultivation, based on scientific findings from the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research, Yanthan, however, said concerns persist regarding its complex environmental, social, and cultural implications.
