CORPORATE
THE STATE OF THE OIL PALM INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE
Just like many other countries around the world, oil palm is aboriginal to Ghana. This is because the country’s weather and apt soil conditions allow for its vast production. Oil palm is a local staple food for Ghanaians of all cultural backgrounds and has created job opportunities for many over the years. Aside from this, it contributes immeasurably to the country’s coffers. I’ve been thinking about the oil palm industry for a few weeks now. A Turkish processing company asked that I research the possibility of them importing Palm Kernel Shells. Palm Kernel Shells or PKS are the shell fragments that are left over after the palm kernel is crushed in the mill. I am aware of PKS’s availability; I
20 THE TIMES OF AFRICA
just didn’t know that it is extremely sought after. The shells, not to talk of the palm kernel. That got me thinking about the entire palm oil industry. On the international level, oil palm accounts for more than half of the global import and export trade of all vegetable oils. As a result of its frequent production around the world, oil palm can also be found in a variety of stuff including food, nonessentials, and biofuels. In the same vein, it is globally the most edible oil having exceeded all others in 2015 according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (2019). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also estimated its global production at 50 million tonnes in the crop year ending
September 2011. Yet, the state of the oil palm industry throughout the world is often swept under the carpet and rarely discussed, at least from my light research conducted. Regardless, it is an indisputable fact that one of the most contentious issues on sustainable agriculture across the world has to do with the oil palm industry. Most controversial is the seeming disparity between its economic impacts and its environmental and social effects; I’m talking about issues relating to deforestation & the loss of biodiversity, social tensions & conflicts due to land acquisition. In a 2019 report by The Guardian,
www.thetimesofafrica.com
