Sri Lanka, Nov. 26 -- Chairman of the Palm Oil Industry Association of Sri Lanka (POIA) Dr. Rohan Fernando highlighted that it is the high time for lifting the 2021 ban on oil palm cultivation, since the Association widely regards the ban as an unscientific, ad hoc policy decision.

Addressing the 6th Annual General Meeting of the POIA in Colombo on Monday (25), he added that Sri Lanka's continuing ban on oil palm cultivation, imposed in 2021, remains one of the most debated agricultural policies in recent years. As the country struggles with rising living costs, foreign exchange shortages, and weak rural incomes, industry experts argue that lifting the ban has become not only logical but economically necessary.

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