Palm Oil/Trees

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil, high in saturated fats, derived from the fruit of the oil palm tree. It is grown commercially in several tropical countries, but mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia, which account for 85% of global palm oil production.

The palm fruit yields two distinct oils – palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit, is edible and is used primarily in food products. Palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed of the fruit and is used mainly in the manufacture of soaps and cosmetics, while palm kernel expeller (PKE) is used as feed for livestock and as biofuel for generating electricity.

Oil palm is highly productive, capable of yielding more oil from less land than any other vegetable oil, with relatively modest inputs. As a result, palm oil production has become an important source of income and a major part of the economy in the regions where it is grown, providing livelihoods for local communities and helping to lift people out of poverty.

Palm oil is a common ingredient in margarine, biscuits, bread, breakfast cereals, instant noodles, shampoos, lipsticks, candles, detergents, chocolates, and ice creams.

The list of products that rely on the unique properties of palm oil is long, with one estimate suggesting that about a half of all packaged items found in supermarkets contain it.

In fact, palm oil is now the most widely used vegetable oil on the planet, accounting for 65 per cent of all vegetable oil traded internationally.

By 2020, the use of palm oil doubled, as the world’s population increases and as people – especially in countries like China and India become more affluent and consume more manufactured goods containing palm oil.

• Total consumption of palm oil has increased tenfold since 1980 and now stands at around 63 million tons per year;

• Palm oil demand will double (as of 2009) to 240 million ton per year by 2050;

• Together, Malaysia and Indonesia produce over three quarters of the palm oil consumed globally.

Palm Oil Tree Processing see images.