Oil palm ban to be lifted?

The Ministries of Agriculture and Plantation Industries are working to remove the existing ban on oil palm cultivation, following a Cabinet proposal that is currently awaiting approval.

Clear criteria have been set for selecting land, with cultivation to be limited to specific areas, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Namal Karunaratne told a local media outlet.

He explained that measures would be taken to protect water sources and reduce environmental harm, while also considering the crop’s economic benefits.

He noted that Sri Lanka cannot continue relying entirely on costly palm oil imports.

Karunaratne emphasised that oil palm will not be grown indiscriminately across the country. Instead, only suitable lands will be approved after proper inspections and soil testing.

Oil palm cultivation has been completely banned in Sri Lanka for several years.

However, in recent times, experts have questioned earlier concerns about the crop and highlighted the importance of local production, especially since the country currently depends fully on imports to meet its palm oil demand.

With a possible policy change on the horizon, the plantation sector—including 11 Regional Plantation Companies—has already put forward proposals to expand oil palm cultivation by an additional 10,600 hectares in appropriate areas.