India has come out strongly against Malaysia and Turkey for raking up Kashmir and said traders are can't be "impervious" to ties between any two countries.

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar met with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Baku, Azerbaijan on the sidelines of Non-AlignedMovement (NAM) and along with a host of issues, raised the issue of extradition of Zakir Naik, the Islamic preacher who has taken permanent residency in the east Asian country.

Noting the comments made by the Malaysian PM, MEA said, "his statements are unacceptable and are not keeping with the facts and we hope Malaysia will do serious introspection on the position it has taken."

Asked about the impact on trade between the two countries, the MEA spokesperson said while "decision to import any commodity or otherwise, is the prerogative of the importing company" but at the "same time they are not impervious to the state of affairs between any two countries."

Reports have suggested India is cutting down its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/malaysia-offers-to-buy-more-imports-from-india-after-threat-of-palm-oil-curbs-256078">import of palm oil from Malaysia </a>due to the recent statements being made by Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad on Kashmir. In the last financial year, trade between the two countries was $17.24 billion.

On Turkey, he said, "We have said in the past these statements are not factually accurate and we have made our view very clear to them" and do expect the "Turkish government to show better understanding" before they make any further comments.

Earlier this week, India had issued a travel advisory for Indian tourists going to the West Asian country, which can impact the number of Indians going to the country. New Delhi had also slammed Turkey's "unilateral military offensive" in northern Syria and asked the country to "exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria."

India has come out strongly against Malaysia and Turkey for raking up Kashmir and said traders are can't be "impervious" to ties between any two countries. India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar met with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Baku, Azerbaijan on the sidelines of Non-AlignedMovement (NAM) and along with a host of issues, raised the issue of extradition of Zakir Naik, the Islamic preacher who has taken permanent residency in the east Asian country.

India has come out strongly against Malaysia and Turkey for raking up Kashmir and said traders are can't be "impervious" to ties between any two countries. India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar met with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Baku, Azerbaijan on the sidelines of Non-AlignedMovement (NAM) and along with a host of issues, raised the issue of extradition of Zakir Naik, the Islamic preacher who has taken permanent residency in the east Asian country. Noting the comments made by the Malaysian PM, MEA said, "his statements are unacceptable and are not keeping with the facts and we hope Malaysia will do serious introspection on the position it has taken." Asked about the impact on trade between the two countries, the MEA spokesperson said while "decision to import any commodity or otherwise, is the prerogative of the importing company" but at the "same time they are not impervious to the state of affairs between any two countries." Reports have suggested India is cutting down its import of palm oil from Malaysia due to the recent statements being made by Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad on Kashmir. In the last financial year, trade between the two countries was $17.24 billion. On Turkey, he said, "We have said in the past these statements are not factually accurate and we have made our view very clear to them" and do expect the "Turkish government to show better understanding" before they make any further comments. Earlier this week, India had issued a travel advisory for Indian tourists going to the West Asian country, which can impact the number of Indians going to the country. New Delhi had also slammed Turkey's "unilateral military offensive" in northern Syria and asked the country to "exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria."

India slams Turkey, Malaysia again for raking up Kashmir issue

Malaysia said on Tuesday it would look to increase imports of crude sugar and buffalo meat from India, after reports that New Delhi was considering restricting imports of palm oil from Malaysia following the criticism of its actions in Kashmir.

Malaysia is the world's second-largest producer and exporter of palm oil after Indonesia, and the edible oil contributed to 2.8 per cent&nbsp;of its gross domestic product last year. Malaysian palm oil futures fell for a third straight session on Tuesday, hitting their lowest in nearly two weeks.

"These steps will be taken in light of India's importance as our third-largest export destination in 2018 for palm oil and palm-based products worth $1.63 billion," Teresa Kok, the Malaysian minister in charge of the palm oil portfolio, said in a statement.

India is one of the biggest producers of sugar and buffalo meat in the world.

Reuters reported last week that India was considering restricting imports of some products from Malaysia, including palm oil after Kuala Lumpur criticised New Delhi for its actions in Kashmir.

India stripped its portion of the Kashmir valley of statehood and autonomy on August&nbsp;5, cutting internet and phone lines and arresting thousands in an attempt to dampen dissent.

Kok said she was aware of the news on "issues that threaten the good ties between Malaysia and India" and that Malaysia was open to negotiations with New Delhi on narrowing the trade deficit between the two countries.

Malaysia's exports to India stood at $10.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, while imports totalled $6.4 billion.

Some Indian traders said refiners had already stopped buying Malaysian palm oil for shipment in November and December, fearing New Delhi could raise import taxes or enforce other measures to curb imports from the Southeast Asian country.

Twitter users in India and Malaysia have already sparred with each other - a #BoycottMalaysia call recently trended on social media in India - after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said at the U.N. general assembly last month that India had "invaded and occupied" Kashmir, a disputed Muslim-majority region also claimed by Pakistan.

India's foreign ministry rebuked the Malaysian government after that, asking it to "bear in mind the friendly relations between the two countries and desist from making such comments".

Malaysia said on Tuesday it would look to increase imports of crude sugar and buffalo meat from India, after reports that New Delhi was considering restricting imports of palm oil from Malaysia following the criticism of its actions in Kashmir.

Malaysia said on Tuesday it would look to increase imports of crude sugar and buffalo meat from India, after reports that New Delhi was considering restricting imports of palm oil from Malaysia following the criticism of its actions in Kashmir. Malaysia is the world's second-largest producer and exporter of palm oil after Indonesia, and the edible oil contributed to 2.8 per cent of its gross domestic product last year. Malaysian palm oil futures fell for a third straight session on Tuesday, hitting their lowest in nearly two weeks. "These steps will be taken in light of India's importance as our third-largest export destination in 2018 for palm oil and palm-based products worth $1.63 billion," Teresa Kok, the Malaysian minister in charge of the palm oil portfolio, said in a statement. India is one of the biggest producers of sugar and buffalo meat in the world. Reuters reported last week that India was considering restricting imports of some products from Malaysia, including palm oil after Kuala Lumpur criticised New Delhi for its actions in Kashmir. India stripped its portion of the Kashmir valley of statehood and autonomy on August 5, cutting internet and phone lines and arresting thousands in an attempt to dampen dissent. Kok said she was aware of the news on "issues that threaten the good ties between Malaysia and India" and that Malaysia was open to negotiations with New Delhi on narrowing the trade deficit between the two countries. Malaysia's exports to India stood at $10.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, while imports totalled $6.4 billion. Some Indian traders said refiners had already stopped buying Malaysian palm oil for shipment in November and December, fearing New Delhi could raise import taxes or enforce other measures to curb imports from the Southeast Asian country. Twitter users in India and Malaysia have already sparred with each other - a #BoycottMalaysia call recently trended on social media in India - after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said at the U.N. general assembly last month that India had "invaded and occupied" Kashmir, a disputed Muslim-majority region also claimed by Pakistan. India's foreign ministry rebuked the Malaysian government after that, asking it to "bear in mind the friendly relations between the two countries and desist from making such comments".

Malaysia offers to buy more imports from India after threat of palm oil curbs

The palm oil industry was responsible for at least 39 per cent&nbsp;of forest loss on the biodiversity-rich island of Borneo between 2000 and 2018, data from a research firm based in Indonesia shows.

The data comes as forest clearance <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-forest-fires-surge-stoking-global-warming-fears-249212">fires in Borneo and parts of Indonesia</a> spread smog across Southeast Asia, causing air quality to drop to unhealthy levels in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.

Some palm oil farmers have been accused of using slash-and-burn methods to clear land for planting.

The palm oil industry has long been blamed for encroaching on rain forests in Borneo, endangering wildlife such as orangutans and pygmy elephants.

Borneo, shared by Brunei and top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia, lost 6.3 million hectares (15 million acres) of forest cover between 2000 and 2018, the data from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), shows.

"This is a conservative number," David Gaveau, a climate scientist at CIFOR, told Reuters of the data, published this month via the centre's Borneo Atlas tool. "It does not include all forest areas impacted by plantation development."

Palm oil companies accounted for about 2.4 million hectares (6 million acres) of the loss while pulpwood firms accounted for 461,319 hectares (1.1 million acres).

Palm oil was responsible for 35 per cent of forest loss in the Indonesian part of Borneo, and 46 per cent on the Malaysian side.

Indonesia and Malaysia produce about 85 per cent of the world's palm oil, which is used in everything from soaps, lipstick to pizza and biodiesel.

CIFOR determined the amount of deforestation caused by companies by calculating the area of forest cleared and converted to industrial plantations within the same year.

The data does not include plantations farmed by smallholders, who account for 40 per cent of palm oil production globally, industry estimates show.

Gaveau said the conversion from forest area to plantations has slowed since 2012, because of lower prices for palm oil and Indonesia's bans on new plantations.

The forest loss from the expansion of palm oil plantations fell to 22 per cent last year, from 28.5 per cent the previous year, the data showed.

A spokeswoman for Malaysia's ministry in charge of palm oil said the government had adopted policies to cap oil palm cultivation area at 6.5 million hectares (16 million acres).

The country's total area planted with oil palm amounted to about 5.8 million hectares (14 million acres) by 2018.

The government also plans to end conversion of forest reserves to palm oil plantations, the spokeswoman said.

A spokesman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), said palm plantations were developed in areas outside forests but pointed to differences in the areas provinces set aside for development and those reserved for forest.

"Uncertainty of spatial planning at the province level is a source of legal uncertainty in palm plantation business," said Tofan Mahdi, the spokesman.

Officials of Indonesia's agriculture ministry declined to comment, while forestry officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The palm oil industry was responsible for at least 39 per cent of forest loss on the biodiversity-rich island of Borneo between 2000 and 2018, data from a research firm based in Indonesia shows.

The palm oil industry was responsible for at least 39 per cent of forest loss on the biodiversity-rich island of Borneo between 2000 and 2018, data from a research firm based in Indonesia shows. The data comes as forest clearance fires in Borneo and parts of Indonesia spread smog across Southeast Asia, causing air quality to drop to unhealthy levels in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia. Some palm oil farmers have been accused of using slash-and-burn methods to clear land for planting. The palm oil industry has long been blamed for encroaching on rain forests in Borneo, endangering wildlife such as orangutans and pygmy elephants. Borneo, shared by Brunei and top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia, lost 6.3 million hectares (15 million acres) of forest cover between 2000 and 2018, the data from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), shows. "This is a conservative number," David Gaveau, a climate scientist at CIFOR, told Reuters of the data, published this month via the centre's Borneo Atlas tool. "It does not include all forest areas impacted by plantation development." Palm oil companies accounted for about 2.4 million hectares (6 million acres) of the loss while pulpwood firms accounted for 461,319 hectares (1.1 million acres). Palm oil was responsible for 35 per cent of forest loss in the Indonesian part of Borneo, and 46 per cent on the Malaysian side. Indonesia and Malaysia produce about 85 per cent of the world's palm oil, which is used in everything from soaps, lipstick to pizza and biodiesel. CIFOR determined the amount of deforestation caused by companies by calculating the area of forest cleared and converted to industrial plantations within the same year. The data does not include plantations farmed by smallholders, who account for 40 per cent of palm oil production globally, industry estimates show. Gaveau said the conversion from forest area to plantations has slowed since 2012, because of lower prices for palm oil and Indonesia's bans on new plantations. The forest loss from the expansion of palm oil plantations fell to 22 per cent last year, from 28.5 per cent the previous year, the data showed. A spokeswoman for Malaysia's ministry in charge of palm oil said the government had adopted policies to cap oil palm cultivation area at 6.5 million hectares (16 million acres). The country's total area planted with oil palm amounted to about 5.8 million hectares (14 million acres) by 2018. The government also plans to end conversion of forest reserves to palm oil plantations, the spokeswoman said. A spokesman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), said palm plantations were developed in areas outside forests but pointed to differences in the areas provinces set aside for development and those reserved for forest. "Uncertainty of spatial planning at the province level is a source of legal uncertainty in palm plantation business," said Tofan Mahdi, the spokesman. Officials of Indonesia's agriculture ministry declined to comment, while forestry officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Palm oil to blame for 39 per cent of forest loss in Borneo since 2000: Study

Crude palm oil<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/iran-india-gas-field-row" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/crude-palm-oil-futures-gain-0-33-pc/articleshow/64583313.cms~oil-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/iran-india-gas-field-row">&nbsp;</a>prices went up by 0.33 per cent to Rs 638.50 per 10 kg in futures trade today as speculators widened their positions amid firm demand at the spot market.

Besides, a positive trend in overseas markets supported the upmove. 
 
At the Multi commodity Exchange, crude panel oil for this month contract rose by Rs 2.10, or 0.33 per cent, to Rs 638.50 per 10 kg, in a business turnover of 60 lots. 
 
Similarly, the oil for delivery in July contract went up by Rs 1.90 or 0.30 per cent, to Rs 634.20 per 10 kg in 14 lots. 
 
Analysts said widening of positions by participants amid pick up in spot demand against tight stocks position on restricted supplies from overseas markets mainly kept crude palm oil prices higher at futures trade.

At the Multicommodity Exchange, crude panel oil for this month contract rose by Rs 2.10, or 0.33 per cent, to Rs 638.50 per 10 kg, in a business turnover of 60 lots

Crude palm oil prices went up by 0.33 per cent to Rs 638.50 per 10 kg in futures trade today as speculators widened their positions amid firm demand at the spot market. Besides, a positive trend in overseas markets supported the upmove. At the Multi commodity Exchange, crude panel oil for this month contract rose by Rs 2.10, or 0.33 per cent, to Rs 638.50 per 10 kg, in a business turnover of 60 lots. Similarly, the oil for delivery in July contract went up by Rs 1.90 or 0.30 per cent, to Rs 634.20 per 10 kg in 14 lots. Analysts said widening of positions by participants amid pick up in spot demand against tight stocks position on restricted supplies from overseas markets mainly kept crude palm oil prices higher at futures trade.

Crude palm oil futures gain 0.33 per cent

A hike in India&#39;s import tax on palm oil could dent overseas purchases by the world&#39;s biggest edible oil importer while making imports of soy oil and sunflower oil lucrative for the country&#39;s refiners, industry officials said.

Lower imports by such a major buyer could also weigh on prices for producers of palm oil, used in everything from soap to foodstuffs. Palm oil futures traded on the Bursa Malaysia Derivative Exchange have fallen more than 3 per cent since the duty was increased on Thursday.

In a move designed to support domestic farmers, India raised the import tax on crude palm oil to 44 per cent from 30 per cent and lifted the tax on refined palm oil to 54 per cent from 40 per cent.

&quot;Imports of soft oils are bound to increase at the cost of palm oil,&quot; Atul Chaturvedi, President of industry body Solvent Extractors Association of India told, referring to products like soy oil and sunflower oil. &quot;The biggest gainer could be sunflower oil.&quot;

Palm oil imports could drop by 500,000 tonnes in the 2017/18 marketing year that started on November 1, said Govindbhai Patel, managing director of trading firm GG Patel &amp; Nikhil Research Company. The country imported 9.3 million tonnes of palm oil in the previous marketing year.

India primarily imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, the world`s top two producers. 
&nbsp; 
Import duties on crude and refined soy oil remain 30 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, crude sunflower oil carries a 25 per cent import tax, while refined sunflower oil is taxed at 35 per cent.

India imports soy oil from Argentina and Brazil, sunflower oil from Ukraine and Argentina, and canola oil from Canada.

&quot;Availability of soyoil is limited. So, large-scale substitution (of palm oil) is not possible with soy oil, but sunflower supplies are ample. Sunflower oil will replace palm oil,&quot; said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.

Sunflower oil imports could jump to 3 million tonnes from 2.17 million tonnes a year ago, the dealer said. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak with media.

Still, industry officials said palm oil prices could correct to become competitive amid rising output.

One Kuala Lumpur-based trader now expects palm oil prices to fall to the 2,300-2,400 ringgit a tonne range. &quot;At 2,500 ringgit and above, palm is considered expensive,&quot; he said.

Palm oil output is expected to rise in line with the seasonal trend from March onwards, putting further pressure on palm oil prices as stocks are expected to build. Malaysia in January had suspended export taxes on crude palm oil for a three-month period to encourage demand and support prices.

A hike in India`s import tax on palm oil could dent overseas purchases by the world`s biggest edible oil importer while making imports of soyoil and sunflower oil lucrative for the country`s refiners

A hike in India's import tax on palm oil could dent overseas purchases by the world's biggest edible oil importer while making imports of soy oil and sunflower oil lucrative for the country's refiners, industry officials said. Lower imports by such a major buyer could also weigh on prices for producers of palm oil, used in everything from soap to foodstuffs. Palm oil futures traded on the Bursa Malaysia Derivative Exchange have fallen more than 3 per cent since the duty was increased on Thursday. In a move designed to support domestic farmers, India raised the import tax on crude palm oil to 44 per cent from 30 per cent and lifted the tax on refined palm oil to 54 per cent from 40 per cent. "Imports of soft oils are bound to increase at the cost of palm oil," Atul Chaturvedi, President of industry body Solvent Extractors Association of India told, referring to products like soy oil and sunflower oil. "The biggest gainer could be sunflower oil." Palm oil imports could drop by 500,000 tonnes in the 2017/18 marketing year that started on November 1, said Govindbhai Patel, managing director of trading firm GG Patel & Nikhil Research Company. The country imported 9.3 million tonnes of palm oil in the previous marketing year. India primarily imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, the world`s top two producers. Import duties on crude and refined soy oil remain 30 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, crude sunflower oil carries a 25 per cent import tax, while refined sunflower oil is taxed at 35 per cent. India imports soy oil from Argentina and Brazil, sunflower oil from Ukraine and Argentina, and canola oil from Canada. "Availability of soyoil is limited. So, large-scale substitution (of palm oil) is not possible with soy oil, but sunflower supplies are ample. Sunflower oil will replace palm oil," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm. Sunflower oil imports could jump to 3 million tonnes from 2.17 million tonnes a year ago, the dealer said. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak with media. Still, industry officials said palm oil prices could correct to become competitive amid rising output. One Kuala Lumpur-based trader now expects palm oil prices to fall to the 2,300-2,400 ringgit a tonne range. "At 2,500 ringgit and above, palm is considered expensive," he said. Palm oil output is expected to rise in line with the seasonal trend from March onwards, putting further pressure on palm oil prices as stocks are expected to build. Malaysia in January had suspended export taxes on crude palm oil for a three-month period to encourage demand and support prices.

India's tax hike to slash palm oil imports, boost soy oil, sunflower oil buying

It&#39;s lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa.

The sheer scale of land required is having an impact in Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo Basin, environmentalists say.

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With financing coming from American, European and Asian agri-businesses, palm bunches are cultivated then cut from trees and sent to factories where oil is extracted by hot pressing.

But the production process accelerates deforestation, contributes to climate change and threatens fauna and flora in vulnerable areas, opponents argue.

However, the companies say that palm oil is not only less expensive than soya or sunflower oil but requires much less land to produce and provides much-needed jobs.

Gabon -- where forest covers 80 percent of the territory -- is feeling the brunt.

Brainforest and Mighty, two environmental groups, investigated the activities of Olam, an agri-business from Singapore, which said it has planted 58,000 hectares of palm trees in Gabon.

&quot;It is estimated that Olam has deforested 20,000 hectares in its Gabonese concessions of Awala et Mouila since 2012,&quot; the groups said in a report released in mid-December. &quot;Investigators on the scene witnessed and filmed bulldozers knocking down huge trees en masse.&quot;

Olam said palm trees had been planted on 25,000 hectares of land which had previously been forested, but that this had been &quot;highly logged and degraded secondary forest&quot; and represented just 0.1 percent of Gabon&#39;s forests.

In response to the report, Olam published advertisements touting the almost 11,000 jobs it has created, the 1,100 hectares of food crops planted and 251 kilometres (150 miles) of roads built.

A wider impact

But the impact appears wider. In their report, the environmental groups expressed fears that the Congo Basin, considered the lung of Africa, could go the same way as forests in Sumatra, Indonesia and on Borneo.

&quot;A few decades ago, these places were almost entirely covered with forests, a paradise for orangutans, rhinos, elephants and exotic birds. Today, only 20-30 percent of the forest cover exists.&quot;

The report was released in Libreville when an environmental film festival honoured the French documentary &quot;Et Maintenant Nos Terres&quot; (And Now Our Land).

Its directors, Julien Le Net and Benjamin Polle, chronicled how villages in Cameroon and Senegal were being affected by what they called &quot;land grabs&quot; by multinational companies.

In south-west Cameroon, 244 farmers have filed a trespassing complaint against a company that intends to plant 20,000 hectares of palm trees.

Hearings in the case against Sustainable Oils Cameroon, formerly a subsidiary of American company Herakles Farms, were postponed after reports of unrest in the area in November.

Greenpeace has asked Cameroon not to renew the company&#39;s concession which expired at the end of November, and it cited &quot;six years of illegal foresting, trampling of locals&#39; rights, unfulfilled investments and destruction of forest&quot;.

A petition signed by 180,000 people against renewal of the contract was sent last week to Cameroon President Paul Biya, Greenpeace said.

The government has not yet made a decision but Greenpeace said it hoped it would hear the voices of &quot;thousands of Cameroonians&quot;.

Meanwhile, the plantations of Socapalm, a subsidiary of the Luxembourg company Socfin in which the family firm of French businessman Vincent Bollore owns a large minority stake, were targeted by protests in November.

&quot;No to pollution and massive environmental destruction&quot; read one banner, while another urged the company to open a dialogue with residents.

&quot;More than 5,000 hectares has been used,&quot; a resident called Ebeneser Ekango told AFPTV at the time, complaining there wasn&#39;t enough land to plant the staple crop cassava. &quot;What do we eat?&quot;

Greenpeace, which has complained that Socfin concessions have included old-growth forests, applauded the company publishing in December a responsible management policy commits to &quot;eliminating deforestation&quot;.

(AFP)

The sheer scale of land required is having an impact in Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo Basin, say environmentalists

It's lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa. The sheer scale of land required is having an impact in Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo Basin, environmentalists say. The production process accelerates deforestation, contributes to climate change and threatens fauna and flora in vulnerable areas, opponents argue × With financing coming from American, European and Asian agri-businesses, palm bunches are cultivated then cut from trees and sent to factories where oil is extracted by hot pressing. But the production process accelerates deforestation, contributes to climate change and threatens fauna and flora in vulnerable areas, opponents argue. However, the companies say that palm oil is not only less expensive than soya or sunflower oil but requires much less land to produce and provides much-needed jobs. Gabon -- where forest covers 80 percent of the territory -- is feeling the brunt. Brainforest and Mighty, two environmental groups, investigated the activities of Olam, an agri-business from Singapore, which said it has planted 58,000 hectares of palm trees in Gabon. "It is estimated that Olam has deforested 20,000 hectares in its Gabonese concessions of Awala et Mouila since 2012," the groups said in a report released in mid-December. "Investigators on the scene witnessed and filmed bulldozers knocking down huge trees en masse." Olam said palm trees had been planted on 25,000 hectares of land which had previously been forested, but that this had been "highly logged and degraded secondary forest" and represented just 0.1 percent of Gabon's forests. In response to the report, Olam published advertisements touting the almost 11,000 jobs it has created, the 1,100 hectares of food crops planted and 251 kilometres (150 miles) of roads built. A wider impact But the impact appears wider. In their report, the environmental groups expressed fears that the Congo Basin, considered the lung of Africa, could go the same way as forests in Sumatra, Indonesia and on Borneo. "A few decades ago, these places were almost entirely covered with forests, a paradise for orangutans, rhinos, elephants and exotic birds. Today, only 20-30 percent of the forest cover exists." The report was released in Libreville when an environmental film festival honoured the French documentary "Et Maintenant Nos Terres" (And Now Our Land). Its directors, Julien Le Net and Benjamin Polle, chronicled how villages in Cameroon and Senegal were being affected by what they called "land grabs" by multinational companies. In south-west Cameroon, 244 farmers have filed a trespassing complaint against a company that intends to plant 20,000 hectares of palm trees. Hearings in the case against Sustainable Oils Cameroon, formerly a subsidiary of American company Herakles Farms, were postponed after reports of unrest in the area in November. Greenpeace has asked Cameroon not to renew the company's concession which expired at the end of November, and it cited "six years of illegal foresting, trampling of locals' rights, unfulfilled investments and destruction of forest". A petition signed by 180,000 people against renewal of the contract was sent last week to Cameroon President Paul Biya, Greenpeace said. The government has not yet made a decision but Greenpeace said it hoped it would hear the voices of "thousands of Cameroonians". Meanwhile, the plantations of Socapalm, a subsidiary of the Luxembourg company Socfin in which the family firm of French businessman Vincent Bollore owns a large minority stake, were targeted by protests in November. "No to pollution and massive environmental destruction" read one banner, while another urged the company to open a dialogue with residents. "More than 5,000 hectares has been used," a resident called Ebeneser Ekango told AFPTV at the time, complaining there wasn't enough land to plant the staple crop cassava. "What do we eat?" Greenpeace, which has complained that Socfin concessions have included old-growth forests, applauded the company publishing in December a responsible management policy commits to "eliminating deforestation". (AFP)

After Asia, palm oil faces backlash in Africa

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