The Union Cabinet on August 18 cleared a Rs 11, 040-crore palm oil project across the northeastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The proposal, which according to the government is aimed at cutting India’s heavy dependence on edible oil imports, has received flak from environmental experts and activists.
Indra Shekhar Singh on Farm Talks retraces the path of ecological destruction caused by palm oil plantations with environmentalist Vandana Shiva and health expert Anju Venkat. Issues of health, biodiversity and land grab associated with palm oil plantations are discussed in this episode.