The best area for cultivation of oil palm in Uganda was found to be the Lake Victoria islands, notably the Ssese Islands (IFAD, 1997). Since 1998, the Government of Uganda has invested in domestic production and processing of vegetable oils to meet the increasing national demand.
Who is developing palm oil plantations in Uganda?
Wilmar International, one of the largest oilseeds corporations in the world is developing palm oil plantations in biodiverse islands off the coast of Lake Victoria, Uganda. The project is a partnership of Wilmar with the Government of Uganda, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Kenyan oilseeds company Bidco.
What is oil palm research in Uganda?
Oil palm research in Uganda is spearheaded by the National Crop Resources Research Institute, NaCRRI. It is funded by the government of Uganda and International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD through the National Oil Palm Project, NOPP under the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, MAAIF.
Should Uganda develop palm oil for import substitution?
As such, there is growing interest by the Government of Uganda in developing palm oil for import substitution, and the fact that production from even poor yielding oil palm substantially exceeds that from a similar area of annual oilseed crops.
Where does Uganda get its oil from?
In Uganda, half of the oil-seed production meets the demand, while the other half is mainly from crude palm oil imports. Both the locally produced and imported crude palm oil are refined into vegetable oil or used in the manufacture of soaps and detergents.
Is oil palm adaptable to agroecology in Uganda?
From studies carried out in the 1970s, oil palm showed promising adaptability to some agroecologies in Uganda resulting in the first commercial establishment in 2005 on Bugala Island, Kalangala district.