In Malawi, oil palm production is an old tradition practiced by the Nyakyusa people, residing in Karonga District. Despite these indigenes being involved in oil palm production, the growth of this agricultural activity has been stagnant.
Why is oil palm important in Malawi?
Through agriculture, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) production has been essential as source of food, creation of job opportunities, income generation, hence offering potential pathways for reducing rural poverty. In Malawi, oil palm production is an old tradition practiced by the Nyakyusa people, residing in Karonga District.
How much palm oil does Malawi import?
Imports In 2022, Malawi imported $38.1M in Palm Oil, becoming the 102nd largest importer of Palm Oil in the world. At the same year, Palm Oil was the 9th most imported product in Malawi. Malawi imports Palm Oil primarily from: Malaysia ($34.9M), Kenya ($846k), China ($799k), Argentina ($675k), and South Africa ($321k).
Where is oil palm planted in Malaysia?
In 2016, about 47% of the planted area is in Peninsular Malaysia, 27% in Sabah and 26% in Sarawak (Nambiappan et al. 2018). Overall, in Malaysia the trend of oil palm planted area is on increase (MPOB 2020) (Figs 1 – 5). Oil palm product value chain. Source: Ministry of Food and Agriculture (2010) Trend of mean temperature in Malaysia 1990–2020.
Is Malaysian palm oil a sustainable product?
If you ask the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), the answers would probably be “Not necessarily”, “Yes” and “Yes”. The Malaysian palm oil industry wants the world to recognise that palm oil from Malaysia represents sturdy features such as quality, sustainable practices, speed of delivery, and research and development.
How many palm oil plantations are there in Malaysia?
Oil palm production in Malaysia involves large-scale and smallholder plantations (Ahmed et al. 2021). Large-scale plantation is defined by its area extent of 3000–20000 ha (Sheil et al. 2009). In total, 423 functional palm oil processing factories are established in Malaysia (Chiew and Shimada 2013).