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| Sunday, 10 February 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Growth of golden crop hampered by ignorance, myths by SUREKHA GALAGODA Sri Lanka has not been able to increase the hectarage under oil palm cultivation owing to the lack of awareness coupled with myths spread by certain groups with vested interests, an industry expert said. General Manager of Watawala Plantations S. Sri Kumar, addressing a presentation on 'Oil palm: The golden crop for the future', said that oil palm was introduced to Sri Lanka way back in 1969, but the hectarage under oil palm could not be increased until the late 1980s due to lack of awareness and myths spread by certain groups. The presentation was organised by the Sri Lanka-Malaysia Business Council. He said: "At present we are far behind in increasing the hectarage under oil palm cultivation. We produce about 4,500 tons of palm oil annually while 90 per cent of the country's requirement of oil is imported. We could save a large amount of foreign exchange by increasing the cultivation of oil palm." He denied rumours that oil palm cultivation affects the ground water level or water flow in surrounding areas. Mr Sri Kumar said that such fears had also been raised in Malaysia and Indonesia, but there was no indication of any adverse impacts after the large scale planting of oil palm in these countries. Mr Sri Kumar assured that consuming palm oil would not cause health problems. Now it is called the `Golden Oil' and people drink it neat since it contains all the magical properties that makes a person healthy. He said: "It is an excellent dietary energy source free of cholesterol and trans-unsaturated fatty acids which cause heart disease." In addition, a number of food and non-food items can be produced using palm oil due to its unique composition of physical properties. "The oil palm fruit can be processed to produce cooking oil, industrial frying fat, margarine, shortenings, vegetable ghee, confectionery fats, ice-cream as well as non-dairy creamers," he added. Soap, palm-based oleochemicals, fatty acids, alpha-sulphonated Methyl Esters, diesel substitutes and fatty alcohol are among the non-food items produced using palm oil. Epoxidised palm oil is used to manufacture boots and polyurethane foam while glycerol made from palm oil is used in producing various pharmaceutical items. The application of empty bunches as fertiliser in oil palm cultivation is an added advantage as it helps to reduce the cost of production while saving funds spent on fertiliser. Mr. Sri Kumar said that the palm begins to bear fruit in 32 months and continues to be economical and productive for about 20 to 30 years. Trading results for rubber at present are unfavourable and the future is uncertain compared to oil palm which is a very profitable crop. Even when the rubber prices were high, the profit from oil palm rose more than fourfold in Malaysia. Therefore, Sri Lanka could benefit by diversifying to oil palm cultivation as the country's climatic conditions are healthy for the crop. At present, the diversification from rubber to oil palm is being effected by regional plantation companies after considering all factors such as the viability of the company and the income of the workers. Malaysia is the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil. It is the leading oil in the export trade and accounts for about 35 per cent of the total oils and fats traded globally. The largest buyers of palm oil are Pakistan, China and India while the other major buyers are the European Union, Singapore, Japan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Mexico. In South East Asia, the oil palm was first planted at the Bogor Botanical Gardens in Java, Indonesia in 1848. The first palms were planted in Malaysia as ornamental plants while commercial planting began only in 1917. In 1960, the total planted area was 54,700 hectares while it increased to 2.9 million hectares in 2000. It employs over 300,000 workers and contributes more than 10 billion ringgit to the Malaysian economy. Mr. Sri Kumar had served for eight years as a senior manager and general manager of Sime Darby oil palm plantation in Malaysia. He won a Malaysian award presented by the Chief Minister of Sabha in 1980 for the most improved and best-maintained plantation. |
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