President’s office has issued a clarification on the decision taken to impose a ban on the importation of palm oil in Sri Lanka.
Issuing a statement, the PMD said, the President’s office has clarified that standard varieties of palm oil used in bakery, confectionary and food processing industries are not prohibited.
President’s office explained that the importation of ‘palm stearin’ variety which is used in the production of relevant food items has not been prohibited.
Standard palm oil varieties are used in the production of biscuits, confectionery and some bakery products in Sri Lanka.
President’s office further clarified that the decision to ban the import of palm oil was taken due to the consumption of crude palm oil having adverse effects on public health.
The President instructed to halt the cultivation of oil palm trees six months ago after research revealed that the cultivation can lead to long-term adverse environmental effects, such as depletion of water resources and soil infertility.
Following the ban, the President has advised for the existing palm oil cultivation to be phased out at a rate of 10% at a time.
Under the proposed strategy, those lands are planned to be replaced with rubber or other eco-friendly cultivations. (NewsWire)