With reference to ‘palm oil’, consider the following statements:
- 1.The palm oil tree is native to Southeast Asia.
- 2.The palm oil is a raw material for some industries producing lipstick and perfumes.
- 3.The palm oil can be used to produce biodiesel.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
The oil palm is native to West Africa, not Southeast Asia, so statement 1 is wrong; statements 2 and 3 are correct. Palm oil goes into cosmetics and other industrial products, and it is also processed into biodiesel.
- ✗ 1. The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originated in the tropical forests of West Africa. It reached Southeast Asia later, first as an ornamental plant, and became a major plantation crop there.
- ✓ 2. Processing crude palm oil gives food products, manufactured goods such as cosmetics and soaps, and fuel. Cosmetic industries, including lipstick and perfume makers, use it as a raw material.
- ✓ 3. Biodiesel is the fuel product made from palm oil, which is why palm oil is counted as a biofuel feedstock.
Remember · Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is African in origin; its oil feeds food, cosmetics, soap and biodiesel industries. India's NMEO-Oil Palm mission promotes it.
Sources
- National Mission on Edible Oils (Oil Palm), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ↗ “Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis), originated from West Africa is comparatively a new crop in India and has highest vegetable oil yielding capability per ha.”
- FAO: The African oil palm (Chapter 4) ↗ “As its name Elaeis guineensis Jacqu. indicates, the oil palm’s original habitat is in West Africa’s tropical forests.”
- FAO: Oil palm industry growth in Africa (Chapter 11) ↗ “The processing of CPO gives rise to three different products: food products (cooking oil, margarine, etc.); manufactured/industrial goods (cosmetics, soaps/detergents, etc.); and fuel (biodiesel).”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·