Palm Oil Cultivation is Environmentally Unsustainable and Destructive
The clearing of land required to grow single crops (monoculture) leaves topsoil exposed to severe weather, which in turn leads to excessive soil erosion and contamination of waterways. Since many communities, especially Afro-Colombian, do not have water aqueducts, their water source is either contaminated or dried up by palm oil production. Furthermore, palm oil is not native to Colombia and as such poses a serious threat to Colombia ’s biodiversity. When tropical forests are eliminated to clear lands for palm, the natural habitat of a diverse range of animals is eliminated. The species that do survive become pests for the palm producers. Palm oil companies then use chemical pesticides, which further harm biodiversity, the water supplies and, ultimately, the health of workers and local communities. Palm oil is often promoted as an alternative source of energy to oil yet there are a number of studies showing that extracting biodiesel from new palm plantations may not lessen global warming. When primary forests are burned to plant palm, it is estimated that decades are needed before the benefits from palm oil agrofuel equal the carbon dioxide that would have been processed if the forest had been left alone.
FTA Would Benefit Palm Oil Projects Linked to Violations of Afro-Colombian and Labor Rights
As of December 2007, 285,000 hectares of palm oil were under cultivation in Colombia . President Alvaro Uribe is planning to increase production to 6,000,000 hectares , with the help of the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The majority of Afro-Colombian communities are opposed to palm oil cultivation in their territories. The Colombian government is not following the consultation mechanism required by Law 70 for the Black Communities, which requires Afro-Colombian authorities to be fully consulted on all economic projects to be implemented in their territories. President Alvaro Uribe showed his disregard for the communities’ rights when, at a Fedepalma meeting in 2006 he said that the government and APO companies should meet with Afro-descendants from Tumaco to discuss the expansion of oil palm in the area and that they “are forbidden to leave the office and should be locked up in there until they reach an agreement. It needs to be handled in this way, with perseverance…. Lock them up...”[i]
Palm oil companies have also evaded the land right laws that Law 70 granted the Afro-Colombian community by creating APO credit programs with members of the community. These programs, which exist throughout the country, breach Law 70 as they do not consult with the communities’ traditional authorities. Furthermore, if the farmers fail to pay back the credit in 12 years the company gains rights to the production of the palm oil on their land (which can be up to 30 years). Many farmers say that as a result they can become indentured laborers on their own land. Already palm oil workers report extremely poor working conditions, including; contracts through third parties that offer absolutely no security, 12 hour days with no more than an hour break, and dangerous working conditions with highly poisonous pesticides without adequate protective gear. USAID has funded several of these projects throughout the country including in Tumaco and Magdalena Medio.
Oil Palm is Not a Viable Alternative to Coca Growing
The Colombian Government and USAID are promoting palm oil as an alternative to coca cultivation for Colombia ’s farmers. While preferable to coca cultivation, palm oil is not a viable alternative, and in some cases coca is grown alongside palm oil. Furthermore, coca is grown on small fields owned by small farmers, while palm oil is grown on plantations owned by large companies that do not benefit small farmers. While coca is a fast-growing crop that can be harvested several times a year, APO is most productive after 6 years. Coca can be easily processed into coca paste or coca base on small farms and without heavy capital; APO requires a US $5 million mill to process. There is very little transportation cost associated with selling coca for small farmers; oil palm products need to be transported by trucks to processing mills. Small farmers can earn up to US $6300 a year for selling coca compared to US $2400 a year for cultivating APO . When farmers convert coca into base or paste, the profit margin is considerably higher.
Members of the U.S. Congress Should:
Require USAID to verify that all oil palm projects receiving U.S. financing are not implemented on lands violently or illegally appropriated, nor in areas where paramilitaries continue to operate and threaten the local population, nor where serious labor violations are reported.
Pass House Resolution 618 on the plight of Afro-Colombians which encourages the U.S. government to ensure that the previous consultation mechanism with Afro-Colombians and marginalized groups is applied in the free trade agreement negotiation and in Plan Colombia 's implementation.
Request the Government Accountability Office to conduct an audit of the environmental impact of palm oil production in Colombia .
September 17, 2008 For more information, please contact WOLA at gsanchez@wola.org and USOC at info@usofficeconcolombia.org
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