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6 - Oil palm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2012

M. K. V. Carr
Affiliation:
Cranfield University, UK
Jerry Knox
Affiliation:
Cranfield University, UK
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Summary

Introduction

The centre of origin of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is the tropical rainforest of West Africa where its natural habitat is believed to be in swamps and along river banks. The main economic product is palm oil obtained from the mesocarp in the fruit. Palm kernel oil, which has a different fatty acid composition, is produced in smaller quantities. Kernel cake, produced after the kernel oil has been extracted, is used in animal feeds. Oil palm is the highest yielding oil crop (t ha−1) in the world. Traditionally, palm oil was used in soap, margarine and cooking fat, but is now largely used in food products. It has also become the source of more diverse materials (Corley and Tinker, 2003). When grown as a smallholder crop, the oil palm contributes much more than oil to the communities living in the areas where it is cultivated. For, example, the sap can provide raw material for sugar and alcoholic beverages. The palms are also a source of building materials, and some of the tissues are important sources of fibre.

The oil palm has long been important to village economies throughout its area of distribution in the forests of West Africa, where semi-wild palm groves became established around homesteads (Nouy et al., 1999). The export of palm oil and kernels from Africa grew rapidly in the late nineteenth century, while the first large-scale plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia were established in the early years of the twentieth century. These were followed in the 1920s by plantations in the Congo and later in other parts of West Africa (Corley, 1976a). It is now grown between latitudes 19° N (Dominican Republic) and 15° S (Brazil). In 2009, the two largest palm oil producers by far were Indonesia (85 million t fresh fruit bunches from 5 million ha) and Malaysia (83 million t from 3.9 million ha). This represents a substantial proportion of the estimated total global area of 14.7 million ha. In terms of fruit production these two countries produce 81% of the world total with fruit bunch yields averaging 17–21 t ha−1 (containing 3.4–4.2 t ha−1 of mesocarp oil) (FAO, 2011a).

Type
Chapter
Information
Advances in Irrigation Agronomy
Plantation Crops
, pp. 145 - 168
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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  • Oil palm
  • M. K. V. Carr, Cranfield University, UK
  • With contributions by Rob Lockwood and Jerry Knox
  • Book: Advances in Irrigation Agronomy
  • Online publication: 05 May 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511998263.008
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  • Oil palm
  • M. K. V. Carr, Cranfield University, UK
  • With contributions by Rob Lockwood and Jerry Knox
  • Book: Advances in Irrigation Agronomy
  • Online publication: 05 May 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511998263.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Oil palm
  • M. K. V. Carr, Cranfield University, UK
  • With contributions by Rob Lockwood and Jerry Knox
  • Book: Advances in Irrigation Agronomy
  • Online publication: 05 May 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511998263.008
Available formats
×