As part national mission on edible oils (palm oil), the Union government is planning to cover an area larger than the entire state of Sikkim with palm oil plantations in six northeastern states.
National Mission on edible oils (palm oil) (NMEO-OP) is being implemented in six northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
As per the re-assessment of potential areas for oil palm cultivation, a total area of 840,344 hectares has been identified in the northeastern states.
The estimated plantation area includes 133811 ha in Arunachal Pradesh, 375428 ha in Assam, 66652 ha in Manipur, 51297 ha in Nagaland, 66792 ha in Mizoram, and 146364 ha in Tripura.
Palm oil plantations have had devastating consequences on the biodiversity in Indonesia and Malaysia.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there is a direct relationship between the growth of palm oil estates and deforestation.
Palm oil is a very water-intensive crop which can create an imbalance for the environment.
