November 3, 2004 10:38 PM PHILIPPINES - The Department of Environment andNatural Resources recently issued guidelines for identifying forest areasthat may be developed into palm-oil plantations.

Environment Secretary Michael Defensor said Wednesday the forest areasopen for development, specifically of African palm-oil plantations,include open or brush-land areas with slope of not more than 50 percent(about 26 degrees).

Such areas should be covered by existing forestry tenurial instruments,such as the Integrated Forest Management Agreement, Socialized IntegratedForest Management Agreement and Community-Based Forest ManagementAgreement, Defensor said.

We have been receiving proposals from various sectors to consider Africanpalm oil as additional crop for forestry plantation. We welcome theseproposals and we are opening certain upland areas as plantation sites,Defensor said.

The DENR chief emphasized, however, that protected areas established underRepublic Act 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Area System Act,are excluded from the palm-oil development.

Existing natural forest and forest plantation will not be covered by theproposed palm-oil development. Moreover, palm-oil plantations will besubject to Environmental Impact Assessment process,he said.

Leading palm-oil processors in the country, particularly in Mindanao, areeyeing expansion to meet the increasing worldwide demand for the product.

According to Philippine Palm Oil Development Council Inc. presidentPonciano Narciso, at least 4,000 hectares of land will be developed inCentral Mindanao within the next 12 months.

Mindanao hosts 85 percent of the country’s palm-oil areas and nurserieswith most of its marginally developed agricultural areas suited forpalm-oil growing.

Citing 2003 figures, DENR-Central Mindanao Forest Resources DevelopmentDivision chief Mamatur Cariga said the country already has 20,000 hectaresof land planted to palm trees.However, there should be 75,000 hectares of palm tree plantation in thecountry to meet local demand for the product, he said.