The main source of palm oil in Tanzania is Kigoma where palm oil is mainly produced. Kigoma region accounts for over 80 percent of the palm oil produced in the country, the remaining 20 percent comes from Kyela District in Mbeya region. In the Kigoma region palm oil is grown on smallholder farms and processed manually.
Where does Kigoma palm oil come from?
Kigoma region accounts for over 80 percent of the palm oil produced in the country, the remaining 20 percent comes from Kyela District in Mbeya region. In the Kigoma region palm oil is grown on smallholder farms and processed manually. The main point of sale for Kigoma palm oil is local and in crude form.
Does Tanzania produce enough edible oil?
However, Tanzania believes it has the capacity to produce enough of the required edible oil and so undertook measures to boost production. In the 2018/19 financial year, the country increased the tariffs on crude palm oil to 25% to promote local production of oil seeds.
How many litres of oil a year does a palm plant produce?
Similar low productivity levels have been reported for oil palm in Kigoma and Mbeya, whereby under current farming conditions one Dura plant yields 7-8 litres of palm oil/year; and, a plant of Tenera yields 28 litres/year. As for avocados, there is no single company in Tanzania which processes avocados to produce edible oils.
Does Tanzania need to import oil palm seeds from abroad?
Oil palm experts advise that, Tanzania doesn’t need to import seeds from abroad as we have the best parent stock. In total, Tanzania requires some 20,377,500 Tenera plants in order to produce the required 570,000 MT of edible oil through palm oil value chain. This is a huge number of oil palm trees needed in the country.
How much oil is extracted from a bunch of palm kernels?
The oil palm produces bunches containing many fruits with the fleshy mesocarp enclosing a kernel that is covered by a very hard shell. FAO considers palm oil (coming from the pulp) and palm kernels to be primary products19. The oil extraction rate from a bunch varies from 17 to 27% for palm oil, and from 4 to 10% for palm kernels or ‘Misse’.