Can Tanzania develop oil palm plantation & processing?
Tanzania has the potential to develop oil palm plantation and processing The main oil palm planting areas in Tanzania include Kigoma, Kyela District and Tanga. Due to the suitable soil and climate, the Kigoma area undertakes more than 80% of Tanzania’s palm oil production tasks.
What is oil palm used for in Tanzania?
More recently, additional uses for this crop have developed, such as local soap production using palm oil. Oil palm production in Tanzania is carried out primarily by smallholder farmers living in Kigoma Region (Kigoma Rural District), as well as in Mbeya Region (mostly Kyela District) and some parts of Tanga and Pwani regions.
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.
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.
Should oil palm oil be expanded beyond Kigoma Region?
Particular emphasis is on expanding the production zones for oil palm oil beyond Kigoma region, the traditional production area. The 19,641 hectares currently farmed represents just 17.2% of the area suitable for growing oil palm, suggesting significant room for expansion (4).