Deforestation for palm-oil production also contributes significantly to climate change. The removal of the native forests often involves the burning of timber and remaining forest undergrowth, emitting immense quantities of smoke into the atmosphere.
According to the FAO, ‘The oil palm produces bunches containing a large number of 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 products. The oil extraction rate from a bunch varies from 17 to 27% for palm oil, and from 4 to 10% for palm kernels.’
More than 160 million tons of the global production is harvested in Indonesia, followed by Malaysia (86 Mio), Thailand (12 Mio), Nigeria (7.8 Mio) and Colombia (6.7 Mio). Ecuador, Cameroon, Ghana, Papua New Guinea and Guatemala complete the top 10. Overall oil palms are planted in more than 40 countries world wide.
