Farmers worried palm oil development plans will push them out

In the Philippines, critics are concerned that the government’s move to boost palm oil production on the island of Mindanao won’t help small farmers as it claims but instead would favor large companies while endangering the environment. A farmer leader says that further palm oil development on the planned 1 million hectares would lead to corruption and landgrabbing along with unfair labor practices, land poverty and militarization. Recent attempts to further develop palm oil plantations in the country have been met with fierce opposition that delayed and eventually led to scrapping the plans.