29/12/2007 (Newindpress.com), New Delhi - Centre has banned the import of palm group of oils through all the ports located in Kerala. R S Gujral, Director General of Foreign Trade, Union Commerce Ministry in a notification on Wednesday banned the imports of palm oil and its fraction, whether or not chemically modified, crude palm oil, other palm oil, RBD palm oil, RBD palmolein, other such oil, palm kernel oil through the ports of Kerala.

On October 16 this year, Gujral had banned import of palm group of oils through Kochi port. Even though this decision was challenged by importers, Kerala High Court allowed the ban to continue.

Earlier this month, farmers associations in Kerala protested against the import of palmolein from Indonesian ship 'SC Tianjin - had 12,000 metric tonnes of palm oil that lay anchored off the Beypore port.

Of the 30 lakh tonne of palm oil products imported by India, Kochi port annually imports 70,000 tonne to 80,000 tonne. Indonesia and Malaysia are major importers of palm oil products to India.

According to a data compiled by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the total imports of edible oil have increased by 38 per cent in November to 347320 tonnes against 252242 tonnes in the last year. The main reason for the increase in imports of edible oil was a 75 per cent surge in the imports of Crude Palm Oil (CPO). The move to ban the import of palm oil was taken to prop up coconut oil prices, which has dropped alarmingly in the last few months.

Peeved by the move importers lobby blasted the Centre as it would not address the genuine concerns of coconut growers in the state.

"How does the banning of palm oil imports through a single state solve the problems of coconut growers? We don't understand," wondered B V Mehta Executive Director of Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA).