Government plans to take back 5 approved palm oil plantation projects in Tanintharyi Region since the areas are not suitable for palm oil plantation

After further research, it is found that all five oil palm plantation projects in Tanintharyi Region which were approved under the previous government, and after MIC and the Ministry of Resources and Environmental Conservation conducted ground examination in the area, they found that the area is not suitable for palm oil plantation. The Government is planning to take back the projects, according to U Aung Naing Oo, secretary of Myanmar Investment Commission.

“As the appropriated area had large trees and bamboo groves, it is not suitable for oil palm plantation. So we have obtained the approval from the President’s Office to take back the project lands,” he told the press on March 22.

The companies that received approval for palm oil plantation projects are located in Myeik District and Kawthaung District in Tanintharyi Region. There are two Malaysian companies, one Thai company, one Korean company and one local company. Among them Myanmar Auto Corporation got the biggest area for palm oil plantation.

“We won’t give all the approved areas. And we will take back the land and the regional government will hand it over to the farmers who are the original owners,” he said.

“Between 2011 and 2016, 1.8 million acres were given to private companies to implement palm oil plantation, but it was found out that oil palm plantation was implemented only on 50,000 acres out of the approved while causing deforestation which harmed livelihoods of local people,” according to U Ye Myint Swe, Member of Tanintharyi Regional Parliament from No.2 constituency from Tanintharyi Region, on the regional parliament’s meeting held on August, 2017.

(Myanmar Business Today: https://www.mmbiztoday.com/articles/govt-plans-take-back-approved-5-palm-oil-plantation-projects )

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