Domestic refiners fear losses as RBD palm oil import increases

Last year, capacity of domestic refining industry was 38-40 million tonnes but utilisation was only 18 million tonnes

World Environment Day: How our greed for palm oil is destroying tropical rainforests  

The rapid expansion of palm oil plantations has led to the destruction of huge areas of Indonesia and Malaysia’s tropical rainforests, …

Palm oil giant IOI challenges suspension order in Zurich court

The compnay has challenged the suspension of its certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in the Zurich district court

Andaman & Nicobar wants to take a reverse gear on oil palm

Sixteen years after the Supreme Court banned monoculture plantations in the islands' fragile ecosystem, the administration wants it revoked

Environmentalists hail Indonesia's moratorium plan on new palm oil permits, mining operations

According to a study published in 2014 Indonesia had the highest rate of deforestation in the world

Oil palm in India’s northeast: economy v ecology

India is promoting oil palm plantations in northeastern states, but this could have negative impacts on the region’s biodiversity

Why India is unwilling to discuss forests at international fora

India’s recent spate of objections indicates an unwillingness to engage with issues related to forests and climate change, explained in …

Expanding palm oil cultivation in Africa can be risky for endangered primates

A new study says that it will be challenging to reconcile oil palm expansion and African primate conservation as most areas suitable for …

Oil palm plantations proved to be a disaster in Mizoram — is Assam next?

Oil palm plantations must be strictly prohibited in the region to protect its rich biodiversity

Don’t eat the rainforests: Top brands complicit in Indonesia’s ecosystem destruction, probe alleges

Companies procuring oil from and financing the Royal Golden Eagle, which set up palm oil and pulp plantations in Indonesia, finds investigation

Albino palm civet sighted in Odisha after 129 years in Satkosia Tiger Reserve

A partial albino common palm civet was last sighted in 1891 in the state’s Kandhamal district

Palm oil and environmental, social challenges in India: The road ahead

Deforestation, damaging effects on the environment and human rights violation are among major challenges related to palm oil production 

HSBC forced to safeguard Indonesia's rainforests

A probe by international non-profit Greenpeace linked Europe’s largest bank to companies destroying rainforests

Palm oil consumption increased 230% in almost 2 decades, yet India imports most of it

India has not been able to achieve self-sufficiency in palm oil production despite 40 years of efforts. Down To Earth travelled to some of the …

Malaysia recovers palm oil sales

Malaysian palm exports to the US have increased dramatically after Malaysia retaliated against attempts to portray the product as being dangerous …

Palm oil plantations driving illegal logging in Indonesia

Report shows how corruption and lax enforcement by government is abetting illegal practices by well-connected business people

Making sunlight liquid – a brief history of sunflowers

If we continue to adapt sunflowers to our needs as climates change, we must ensure diverse genes are conserved for future generations 

An Old tree and some wise men

Unsustainable practices seem to be a suicidal trait in the fashionable development concepts of today

Which forests can be felled for oil palm plantations?

Palm oil companies undertake their own study to decide the magic carbon threshold number

Wheat, palmolein, arhar: As the Centre takes anti-inflationary steps, what about the farmer, DTE asks experts

The entire burden of inflation is still borne by India’s farmers; this needs redress, say experts

How India can be ‘atmanirbhar’ for edible oil production

In 2019, India imported around 15 million tons of edible oils worth approximately Rs 7,300 crore

The fire-fighting children of the Khasi Hills and the decline of traditional farming in north-east India

In North-east India, children of the Khasi Hills (Meghalaya) learn slash and burn cultivation, an intergenerational yet controversial indigenous …

A date with the palm

Savvy Soumya Misra spends a day with Mahoba’s palm collectors to find out why a card touches a raw chord amongst them

Lucrative rabi: Mustard farmers may reap good prices despite bumper output

Higher MSP, dearer imports expected to keep rates firm for local oilseeds    

Is biofuel use fit for both air and land?

While ICAO has proposed that biofuel use in passenger planes be increased rapidly to cut carbon emissions, environmentalists disagree