Will oil palm production increase in the Congo Basin?
Land area allocated to oil palm increased by 40% in the Congo Basin and five additional top-producing countries in Africa between 1990 and 2017. Without intervention, future production increases in the region will likely come from expansion rather than intensification due to low crop and processing yields, possibly at the expense of forest.
How is refined palm oil produced?
To produce refined palm oil (RPO), the objectionable impurities in the CPO are removed to obtain the required levels using two main methods: chemical or alkali refining and physical refining methods. Either of these is followed by fractionation as a final purification process to separate the oil into stearin and olein components.
What is palm pressed fibre oil (ppfo)?
Higher performance with better product quality. Palm-pressed fibre oil (PPFO) is rich in natural phytonutrients such as carotenes and tocotrienols (vitamin E), which makes it worth further development to enhance its quality. Crude PPFO is currently extracted using solvents without further refining.
Where can oil palm be grown in the Congo Basin?
Most of the roughly 280 million hectares (Mha) of additional land suitable for oil palm in the Congo Basin are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (60%), Cameroon (11%) and the Republic of Congo (10%). Many heavily forested countries in the Congo Basin are setting national targets to increase production to meet national and regional demands.
