PALM OIL TREE
CULTIVATION
Palm cultivation has become a serious
challenge to the existence of tea and rubber Plantations, in the central part
of Sri Lanka since 2017s. The Sri Lankan Plantation sector which had been
coffee, tea, rubber and coconut changes over to Palm Plantation. It was in the
context of destruction of rubber cultivation in the Kegalle district
plantations since of late in order to cultivate Palm trees that opposition
mounted is not only from the Plantation people, but even from their rural
counterparts.
PALM OIL
IN PLANTATIONS - Introduction
The Palm oil tree is originates from West
Africa where it grows in the wild and later developed into an agricultural
crop. Today 4.49 million hectares of land in Malaysia is under Palm Oil
cultivation. Palm oil is cooking oil. It is in maximum use worldwide as an ingredient in food production. The oil extracted from
Palm is used for cooking purposes in many countries and has become a 55%
component of vegetable oil. It is also used in producing butter, food items,
instant food, chocolate, ice cream and snacks, and in addition, it is being
used in producing soaps and cosmetic items, etc. Extensively cultivated in the
Asian and African Countries, Palm has become a major income generating crop in
Indonesia and Malaysia, providing direct and indirect employment opportunities
to hundreds of thousands of people. In 2013 major portions of foreign exchange
of Indonesia and Malaysia came from the 50% export of palm oil. Palm oil
occupies a major share as cooking oil and in cosmetic items in many Asian and
European countries.
Hence many Asian Countries encourage
palm cultivation. The cultivation needs more land and labour and in their
background, private companies encouraging palm production has led to serious
environmental, social and economic consequences. Moreover, the labour rights of
workers face serious erosion. In the African and Asian Countries, the jungles
cleared as at the 2008s, to cultivate palm, are estimated to be 5.5 million
hectares.
- · The indigenous people lost their habitat and livelihood.
- · Flora and fauna were destroyed.
- · Resultant climatic change brought harmful consequences.
- · Land problems arose.
- · People of Indonesia and Africa faced problems of land grabs.
- · It is also noted that the human rights of workers employed in the oil factories are in serious jeopardy.
- · Hardest labour but lesser pay
- · Use of unsafe pesticides
- · Maximized migrant workers.
- · Job brokers exploiting workers.
- · Low housing facilities.
Workers are engaged in,
- · Deforestation
- · Primary cultivation
- · Harvest
- · Producing oil in factories
- · Preparing for marketing
Harvesting applying weedicide and pesticide
are marked as risky occupations. Bunches of nuts – weighing about 10 to 25 kgs
– from each tree have to be brought down using long knives. At the same time chemical
pesticides have to be sprayed.
Chemical weedicide and pesticide, are said to be
causing various diseases to the workers handling them.
Since a majority of workers engaged in
the Industry, are migrants, they are subjected to various forms of
exploitation. Loss of their political, social, economic and cultural rights.
Many rubber producing countries changed
over to palm cultivation. These resulted in the increase of men labour. They
were occupied in harvesting. Women workers who were recognized as efficient
tappers in rubber Plantations, lost employment opportunities and pushed out as
non-abled.
Women are engaged in land and palm tree maintenance,
and collection of plucked nuts from the ground.
The increase of palm estates is said to
dry the underground water and cause drinking water problem.
However, it has become a major
plantation crop. In many countries it has become, a major profit earner with
demands increasing nationally as internationally.
At the same time, as the western consumers are aware
of and active and the consumers are the
human rights, respected to the rights of workers and small producers, they rise
to occasions, when such rights are violated. In this background, the producers,
and human rights organizations have founded a structure namely, Round Table Discussion
based on the principle of recognition of labour cultural and human rights of
workers and small producers. Therefore, the countries and others involved in the trade should ensure
that the policy planning and governing the project the human, cultural and
other rights and round welfare of the workers and environment.
Palm cultivation in Sri Lanka
The Palm oil tree cultivation is introduced
to Sri Lanka in late nineteen sixties, and has been spread over the southern
part of the Island, mainly in Galle district. In the beginning the people had
not had any information about the industry. They appeared to have been totally
unaware of the crop, cultivation, production and the procedure. Nor did they
have a clear idea of its positive or negative impact, it did not encounter any
resistance. Neither the trade unions nor civil organizations came out against
it firmly. Taking advantage of this many Plantation companies encouraged this
projects in the Southern Province. This has led to the expansion of the
cultivation to nearly 9000 hectares(www.firstcapital.lk/tag/palm-oil-cutivation-Sri
Lanka) by 6 Plantation companies. In 2015, Sri Lanka produced 18,000 MT of Palm
oil. (www.dailymirror.lk/article/sustainable oil palm).
However it is of late than the
Plantation workers and the near by villagers have come to realize the adverse
consequences of this cultivation.
In this background the Plantation
workers of the Kegalle District brought the action of the Plantation companies
to cultivate Palm trees to the attention of the Government Authorities, WSU and
HDO. They also asked the question: “why should the companies give importance to
growing Palm trees, after destroying rubber trees which had already been
there?”.
WSU
consulted with their members and labour leaders. HDO contacted with the
relevant Organizations and activists in Malaysia where the palm oil is produced
in a larger amount and obtained information about Palm oil tree cultivation.
According to the sources it was known that this cultivation bears negative
impacts than the positive impacts on the environment and the workers. The HDO
studied more about the impacts of the Palm oil tree cultivation such as the ecological
impact, the labour rights of workers face serious issues, land problems, It is
also noted that the human rights of workers employed in the oil factories are
in serious jeopardy, hardest labour but lesser pay use of unsafe pesticides.
This gave a background to HDO
supported WSU’s campaign on issues related to Palm cultivation. It is following
this campaign that the workers of the Plantations which made arrangements to
cultivate Palm trees and the villagers lodged strong protests against the
project. The protest even extended to where the people working in the Estates
stopped saplings being planted – put up road blocks and take to work stoppage.
They have even explained the after
effects of the cultivation, at meetings organized by the Companies. It is
noteworthy that religious dignitaries are in the forefronts of the people’s
campaigns.
A Malaysian team visited twice to the
relevant areas together with HDO and gathered information.
Moreover the HDO together with WSU
conducted Awareness raising campaign in number of Estates in Kegalle district,
training programs in both Estate and village level and formed an Action Committee
in order to create awareness and action. It also printed around 5000 leaflets
in Sinhala and Tamil and distributed among the target people. HDO has first
time published a major article on Palm oil cultivation in a newspaper which was
widely read by Sri Lankan and Plantation community.
Worldwide the ordinary people resist
the profit oriented economic model which is hosted to human rights, human
welfare and environmental safely. In this background we believe the protest of
the Plantation workers hand in hand with the rural people against the Palm
cultivation, will provide a new chapter in their struggle to win the women’s
workers, and people’s rights and change the managerial relations and protect
the environment.
HDO joining hands and participating
in the struggle with the Labour movements and the WSU in action of historical
importance.
However, suitable Palm oil practices
have been discussed seriously among companies and environmental Human rights
groups, in this context, an ethically, socially and environmentally sustainable
Palm oil practices to be established.
