Unmasking The Myths Around Palm Oil & The Industry

With a global pandemic taking the world by storm and forcing people to work from home, most of us have resorted to internet services to manage all sort of professional communication. That's the reason why webinars have become a staple for a seamless interaction with potential audience. 

Last week, I got an opportunity to attend a webinar organised by #MPOC (Malaysian Palm Oil Council) with around 40 renowned bloggers from different regions of India, where the key speaker Ms. Bhavna Shah (Country Representative, India and Sri Lanka, MPOC) dispelled some myths about #PalmOil and addressed the issue of incorrect information dissemination around whole Palm Oil sector. 

As someone who always advocate 'facts' over 'fallacies', I took up today to apprise my readers about so-called myths that were unmasked during this awareness webinar-

Myth #1 Large scale Palm tree plantation is primary cause of deforestation.

Fact - Palm trees grow naturally in tropical rainforest areas, but they are also being planted and farmed to produce more palm oil to meet the increasing demand of this versatile edible oil. With novel farming techniques followed by the industry, sustainably grown palm establishments have proven to be equally good for the environment like many other vegetable oil crops. 

Infact, there are regulatory bodies like MPOCC (Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council) that are actively working with supply chains to eliminate outdated, unsustainable farming practices for palm oil production in Malaysian region. On the lines of these practices, it has been mandatory for all Malaysian palm oil industry to be MSPO certified to ensure positive social, environmental and economic impacts. Moreover, palm oil trees may not necessarily be produced on large plantations causing deforestation, but can also be grown on smaller family farms called 'smallholders'.

Myth #2 Palm tree plantations threaten biodiversity.

Fact - Tropical forests, where palm oil is primarily produced, are home to several rare and endangered species like Orangutans, Sumatran tigers, elephants and rhinos. To secure lives of these animals in tropical habitat, the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) has set up stricter standards to allow palm oil expansion in a 'sustainable' way that doesn’t deprive vulnerable wildlife of its natural habitat in the wild and the palm oil industry is putting best practices into place to abide by the set standards.

MPOC has also set up Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWCF), a scheme focused to fund conservation research program undertaken by experts from the academia, government agencies and NGOs who provide concrete assurances that oil palm cultivation does not cause deforestation or loss of wildlife and their habitat.

Myth #3 Palm oil harms your health and environment & should be avoided.

Fact: Palm oil is a versatile edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit grown on the oil palm trees. For consumers, it's almost an impossible task to avoid palm oil because it’s used in almost everything from ice cream to instant noodles, toothpaste to lipstick and much more. Be aware that palm oil is an ideal substitute for partially hydrogenated oils and is also a good source of tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E that may help to protect you from certain chronic diseases, while delaying the body’s ageing process.

Also, from an environmental perspective, if you decide to boycott the stuff, that might not be so wise. Because no other crop can yield even one third of palm oil per acre planted. And along with using less land, the oil palm gorges on fewer pesticides and chemical fertilizers than any other vegetable oil source. So if you think oil palm destructive is to the environment, it may still be better than its alternatives.

Take home message:

Malaysian palm oil industry is a highly regulated industry currently adhering to more than 15 laws and regulations related to land acquisition, protection of wildlife, environmental impacts etc. 

I hope this awareness write-up will help put a check on careless sharing of un-researched views. We should take time to fact-check and understand the complexity of issues – palm oil or otherwise, before we propagate anything.