The slippery question of whether to ban the controversial commodity, or work with the producers. Here’s why the latter makes more sense, writes Ekateri “Palm oil is part of our poverty-reduction strategy. It directly contributes to employment and promotes economic growth in rural areas, enabling poor communities to access health and education.” This statement by
The Malaysian minister of primary industries said the government is studying a proposal to cap the Southeast Asian nation’s palm oil estate at 6 million hectares. The country currently has 5.85 million hectares of the oilseed crop. Malaysia may ban further expansion of oil palm plantations in an effort to improve the oilseed’s reputation abroad, reports Bloomberg.
The Harapan lowland rainforest in Sumatra, one of only 36 global biodiversity hotspots, could be lost to oil palm plantations within the next five years. Its name in Indonesian means “hope,” but there seems to be little of that remaining for the Harapan rainforest, a tropical woodland oasis in an ever-expanding desert of oil palm plantations
Only 74 per cent of palm oil bought by Europe’s food industry is certified as sustainable. Europe, the world’s second-biggest buyer of palm oil, is set to miss a 2020 target backed by about 10 countries, as well as big companies, to use 100-per cent sustainable supplies of the edible oil in food ingredients, environmental experts
Palm oil accounts for 35% of the world’s vegetable oil market and there’s a very good reason why. Efficiency Harvested all year round, oil palm trees produce on average 10 tonnes of fruit per hectare – far more than soya, rapeseed and sunflower crops. This means oil palm requires 10 times less land than the
Deforestation Palm oil has been linked with the destruction of the world’s precious rainforests. Development of new oil palm plantations, coupled with smallholders expanding their farms to meet the rising demand for palm oil, has resulted in significant deforestation. Threat to species survival The removal of acres of rainforest threatens the rich biodiversity in these
Decorations and thematic home decor items can help bring a tropical paradise to a living room, bathroom, kitchen or lounge. Items that reflect the overall theme help create a mood and ambiance of relaxation found on vacations, and few images call to mind sandy beaches and exotic vacations like the ubiquitous palm tree. Because of its iconic
The best palm tree fertilizer typically has a 2-1-2 or 2-1-3 nitrogen, phosphorous,potassium (N-P-K) ratio. While other fertilizers may work fairly well for palm trees, fertilizers with these ratios give the tree the best chance at being healthy longer. If a tree is showing signs of nutrient deficiency, then switching to a fertilizer specific for palm trees is important. Nitrogen is especially useful for palms,
10.04.2019 (Asia Times) – All roads lead to Indonesia’s April 17 presidential and legislative elections – even through the vast plantation country of Sumatra where President Joko Widodo and his government unfairly get the blame for the low world market prices of palm oil and rubber. With Sumatra again looking to be the only one
13 Apr 2019 (New Straits Times Online) Distinguished environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt is more than a little kind to me. That’s saying a lot after I called him a ‘barista’ instead of a ‘barrister’. It’s obvious that he’s not about to serve me a cup of hot coffee at the Sime Darby Plantation in Ara