Assam palm oil push sparks land row in Bokakhat, JEEPAL protests

Guwahati: A fresh confrontation over palm-oil cultivation has erupted at Bokakhat in Assam’s Golaghat district, with the JEEPAL Krishak Sramik Sangha alleging that traditional grazing land used by riverine communities is being taken over for commercial palm-oil plantations without the consent of local residents.

The organisation has directly targeted Agriculture Minister Piyush Hazarika, alleging that the expansion of palm-oil cultivation in the area is being pushed under the state government’s agricultural policy and could eventually put pressure on the traditional land and livelihoods of people living in the Brahmaputra’s char–chapori areas.The dispute centres on hundreds of bighas of riverine land at No. 1 Bokuli Sapori under the Bokakhat Assembly constituency.

According to JEEPAL and local residents, the land has traditionally been used for grazing cattle and buffaloes. The organisation alleges that preparations initially made for Rabi cultivation were subsequently followed by the planting of palm-oil saplings.

Rabi crops promised, palm saplings allegedly planted JEEPAL leader Soneswar Narah has alleged that the Golaghat District Agriculture Department intervened in the area without adequately informing the people traditionally using the land and facilitated the formation of an agriculture cooperative involving people whom the organisation claims have no traditional connection with the land.

The cooperative, identified as Gulung Temera Bahumukhi Krishi Samabay Rin Samiti, organised a seed-sowing programme at the site on August 25. Golaghat District Agriculture Officer Ranjan Barua and NABARD District Development Manager Bhaskar Parashar were reportedly present.

The project was presented as one involving Rabi crops, including black gram, mustard and sesame. But residents subsequently alleged that palm-oil saplings had been planted on the same land.The development has since escalated into an open confrontation between local residents and the cooperative.

On September 28, JEEPAL and local residents organised a day-long protest at the site opposing the alleged conversion of the grazing land for palm-oil cultivation.’Who gave permission?’ JEEPAL Chief Adviser Soneshwar Narah has questioned the government’s authority to promote palm-oil cultivation on riverine land traditionally used by local communities.

Narah asked who had authorised the Agriculture Minister to promote palm-oil cultivation on the riverine lands of indigenous Mising communities and whether the consent of local residents had been obtained.He said the land should not be handed over for commercial interests without a proper assessment of the environmental and socio-economic consequences of oil-palm cultivation.

JEEPAL has also warned that the dispute could spread beyond No. 1 Bokuli Sapori, with the organisation identifying several neighbouring riverine settlements that depend on the wider grazing landscape.

The organisation says the potential impact could extend towards areas close to Kaziranga National Park.Government’s palm-oil push under scrutiny The Bokuli Sapori dispute comes as the Assam government pushes for expansion of palm-oil cultivation under the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).

According to the statement, Agriculture Minister Piyush Hazarika reviewed the progress of the mission in September 2026 and directed the Agriculture Department to accelerate palm-oil plantation.That policy objective is now colliding with a local land-use dispute.

For communities dependent on riverine grazing areas, JEEPAL argues, the issue is not simply whether palm oil can generate agricultural income. It is whether land traditionally used for livestock and other livelihood activities can be permanently committed to a commercial monoculture without a transparent process.

JEEPAL spokesperson Probin Pegu alleged that the government was attempting to use farmers’ agricultural land for commercial cultivation benefiting large capital interests.He demanded that Hazarika visit Bokuli Sapori and hold a public hearing before any further expansion of palm-oil cultivation in the area.Environmental concerns add another layer the controversy also comes amid broader scientific debate over the ecological consequences of oil-palm monoculture.

JEEPAL cited a 2024 review concerning Northeast India that raised concerns about the potential effects of oil-palm cultivation on plant diversity and biodiversity.It also referred to a 2024 meta-analysis published in Conservation Biology, which analysed 29 studies and reported, on average, 44% fewer stream taxa in oil-palm plantations without riparian buffers compared with primary forests.

The research, as cited by JEEPAL, also points to potential concerns involving water quality, habitat alteration, agricultural chemicals and erosion.The organisation is therefore demanding a scientific assessment of the impact of oil-palm cultivation on land, water, biodiversity and livelihoods before large-scale plantations are introduced in the Brahmaputra’s sensitive riverine areas.

At the same time, the supplied statement acknowledges that supporters of the government’s policy view palm oil as a means of reducing India’s dependence on edible-oil imports and potentially increasing farmers’ incomes.

A 2024 review of palm oil in Northeast India likewise discussed both its economic potential and concerns surrounding land use, biodiversity and local livelihoods.District administration asked to intervene the dispute has already reached the police and administrative machinery.Local residents have alleged that their written request to the Khumtai Revenue Circle Officer did not result in effective intervention.

Pegu has now demanded that the Golaghat District Commissioner intervene in the dispute and take responsibility for resolving cases registered by both sides at Dergaon Police Station.He warned that the district administration and the Agriculture Minister would be held responsible for any further escalation.The organisation has demanded clear answers on three basic questions: the legal status and authorised use of the land; the permission under which palm-oil saplings were planted; and whether the plantation is compatible with the Rabi-crop project originally announced for the area.