What is African Palm Oil?
Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the oil palm tree or, more appropriately, the African Oil Palm. The palm fruit yields both palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil is edible and expressed from the pulp of the fruit. Palm kernel oil is pressed from the seed and is used in cosmetics manufacture.
There are two main species of oil palm trees; Elaeis guineensis, native to West Africa and Elaeis oleifera, native to Central and South America. Both species are grown in oil palm plantation in tropical regions.The palm oil market is vast. Due to high oil content and ease of processing, the palm oil industry is growing, with poor countries using it as a ticket for economic development.
Palm Oil Production
The African oil palm is not an ordinary crop. Among the four plants accounting for 83% of the world's vegetable oil production, oil palm ranks on top in terms of volume and percentage of production. Yet, palm oil is planted in only 14.6 million hectares, representing a mere 6% of the area under cultivation for vegetable oil production. Palmoil is easy to farm, less affected by climate change and with the lowest cost of production/volume of oil produce.
The world's greatest largest producers of palm oil products include the following countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Colombia, Benin, and Kenya.
1. Easy to establish and maintain.
African oil palm is not prone to damage by moderate drought or floods once established. No maintenance needed such as weeding or clearing of debris and undergrowth.
2. Wide range of adaptability.
Oil palm is successfully grown in flat upland plains to hilly lands with less than 18 degree slope, newly drained swampy areas and drained lowland rice fields. Most oil palm hybrids are highly productive at lower elevations of not more than 500 MASL much similar to the elevation requirements of mango, pummelo and other tropical tree crops.
3. Early income opportunity.
Oil palm trees produce the first commercial quantity of fruit bunches in just 24 to 28 months after field planting. Oil palm fruits are harvested and give income to the farmers every ten days.
4. Environment friendly.
Oil palm trees have fewer pest and disease problems compared to other high value crops. Subsequently, they require minimal amount of pesticides and lesser sprayings. Mature oil palm trees require lesser amount of fertilizer. Sustainable palm oil production is possible.
5. Easier and cheaper harvesting and post-harvest handling
Farmers has only to harvest, load to a vehicle, and deliver to the milling plant within 2 to 3 days after harvest. Harvesting and post-harvest handling of palmoil is easier and cheaper compared to coconut, rubber, and other crops.
6. Least affected by climate change; help mitigate climate change
Compared to crops like rice and corn the production of palmoil is less adversely affected by climate change. In the process of photosynthesis, oil palm trees are heavy consumers of CO2 from the atmosphere and in the process help reduce the “greenhouse effect” which causes climate change. Current techniques in oil palm production insure zero waste management. The by-products of milling are used to produce biofuel, biogas and electricity. And by the way increase in the price of petroleum oil from the Middle East is not a worry to an oil palm farmer as this also increases the price of his oil palm fruits. The price of palmoil increased in parallel to petroleum oil as palmoil is commercially use as biofuel.
Perceived Negative Impacts
1. Cause of Deforestation
The United Nations Environment Programme has announced that palm oil plantations are now the leading cause of rainforest destruction in Malaysia and Indonesia. An area of forest equal to 300 soccer fields is being destroyed every hour. These two regions account for 85 percent of global production of palm oil.
2. Carbon Dioxide Emission Contributes to Global Warming
The burning of forests to clear land for palm oil plantations is a major cause of air pollution in Southeast Asia. It releases CO2 into the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. Research shows that 20% of all global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels come from rainforest destruction.
3. Threatening Endangered Species
Deforestation for the establishment of palm oil plantations is responsible for habitat loss for threatened and endangered species. Priority species impacted by forest clearing are the Asian elephant, tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and the orangutan. The Asian elephant and Bornean orangutan are endangered and the tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and Sumatran orangutan are Critically Endangered.
What Products Contain Palm Oil?
- Edible oil from African oil pal are very common in United States, European, Asian, and Asutralian markets. Almost anywhere cooking are done with oils.
- Palm oil are found in many food products such as biscuits, chips, crackers and batters. It is also found in toothpaste, soap, shampoo and cosmetics.
- Palm oil based biodiesel has entered the European market.
CHECK OUT THE SIDEBAR FOR SOURCES AND OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES FOR AFRICAN PALM OIL.
