• 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.
  • What is the palm oil value chain in Tanzania?
  • The palm oil value chain in Tanzania – Diagnostics, investment models and action plan for development and innovation (2019) Tanzania`s edible oil sub-sector stands at Tshs 676.2 billion (US$294 million) with players like Bidco Oil and Soap Ltd, Murzah Oil Mills and Alaska Tanzania3.
  • 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.
  • Which region produces the most palm oil?
  • Kigoma Region with 6,819 ha (70.0 percent) had the largest planted area, followed by Mbeya with 2,102 ha (21.6 percent). The other palm oil producing region was Pwani (444 ha: 4.6 percent). The total production was 16,593 Tons from 7,717 ha harvested with an average yield of 2.2 Tons/ha.