SHILLONG, Aug 29: The opposition to Centre’s push for the mega oil palm cultivation in Meghalaya continues to gather momentum with resistance from a section of the political class.
Senior UDP leader Bindo M Lanong said that it is quite interesting how Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is welcoming the idea, while Lok Sabha member Agatha Sangma is opposing the move.
Asking Centre to do its homework before taking up oil palm cultivation in Meghalaya, Lanong maintained that the soil and climatic conditions here are not suitable for this type of plantation.
According to him, even in warmer places like Ri Bhoi and Garo Hills, cultivation such as coconut plantation has not panned out. “They should have had obtained views of experts from Meghalaya on this matter,” he added.
Stating that although broomstick is cultivated in some parts of Meghalaya, Lanong pointed out that people, nonetheless, discourage it since no other fruits can be grown in areas where broomstick cultivation is taken up. He also asked Centre to introduce those products in Meghalaya which will help the farming community as majority of the population in Meghalaya is farmers.
On the other hand, former Minister RG Lyngdoh said that across the world, oil palm plantations have proven to be destructive to the local ecological system.
“It is said that it depletes the ground water at a very fast pace, and it adds to the carbon footprint. On both counts, Meghalaya as a state stands to lose. Besides, we should learn from past experiences. When the pine tree was introduced it wreaked havoc on the indigenous ecosystem. Years later, Jatropha was introduced to extract fuel. That too turned out to be a huge waste,” Lyngdoh said.
He said that the state government should instead ask for funds to promote plantations of indigenous herbs that can be used for medicinal purposes.
“The chief minister should show he has the backbone to ask for something that will sustain, not just the local ecosystem, but local livelihoods as well,” Lyngdoh pointed out.