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: B. Statements 2 and 3 are correct; Statement 1 is wrong. Statement 1 is WRONG. The PALM OIL tree (ELAEIS GUINEENSIS) is NATIVE TO WEST AFRICA (the Niger river delta region — modern Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia), NOT Southeast Asia. The oil palm was introduced to Southeast Asia (Malaysia and Indonesia) in the 19th century by European colonisers. Today INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA together produce about 85% of the world's palm oil, but the tree's ORIGIN is West African. (There is a separate American oil palm species, Elaeis oleifera, native to South and Central America, but commercial palm oil is from the African Elaeis guineensis.) Statement 2 is CORRECT. PALM OIL is a key INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIAL used in: - COSMETICS — LIPSTICKS (provides smooth texture and moisturising base), creams, soaps. - PERFUMES — used as a fixative and base oil. - DETERGENTS, SHAMPOOS, ICE CREAM, CHOCOLATE, BISCUITS, INSTANT NOODLES. Palm oil and its derivatives (palm kernel oil, palmitate, glycerin) appear in roughly 50% of supermarket products. It is also a major edible cooking oil globally. Statement 3 is CORRECT. PALM OIL CAN BE CONVERTED INTO BIODIESEL through transesterification with methanol/ethanol. Indonesia and Malaysia have major palm-based biodiesel programmes (B20, B30, B40 mandates). However, palm-oil biodiesel is controversial because of DEFORESTATION and PEATLAND DESTRUCTION linked to oil palm expansion, undermining its climate benefits. The EU has phased out palm-oil biodiesel from its renewable energy targets by 2030. Source: FAO / IUCN Oil Palm Task Force reports / NCERT Class 10 Geography (Agriculture).