Oil Palm

Scientific name: Elaeis guineensis

Common name: oil palm or African Oil Palm.

Palm oil is the name given to the oil obtained from the fibrous epicarp and mesocarp,
while palm kernel oil is the name for the oil obtained from the endocarp

Ecology: Oil palm is a tropical rain loving crop grown between latitudes 11°N to 10°S
i.e. between Guinea and Angola in Africa successes have however been report in
Malaysia and in Savannah areas (Wa in the Upper West Region). Climatic conditions for
high production of oil palm include well distributed rainfall of 1800–2000 mm per year,
high air humidity, and at least 1900 hours of sunshine per year. Optimum mean minimum
and maximum monthly temperatures are 22–24°C and 29–33°C, respectively soil pH
ranging between 4.2—5.5.
Varieties: there are three main varieties in Ghana these are
DURA: This is a thick-shelled variety with a small pericarp.
PISIFERA: A thin shelled variety in some cases there is absence of shell al
together.
Tenera: a hybrid between the two main varieties, it has a medium sized shell and
is higher yielding than the other varieties. It is main variety used in establishment of palm
plantations.

Propagation: Oil palm seeds have a peculiar dormancy and as such require special
treatment in order to induce germination: seeds of oil palm require a heat treatment of
39–40°C for 60–80 days, followed by cooling and rehydration this will break the
dormancy and allow germination of the seeds. Excised embryo propagation can also be
done in vitro in which case the embryo starts to enlarge in 24hrs. for optimum
performance, the seedlings must be nursed for about 10-14 months before transplanting.
During the nusery period shading must be provided, usually, black polyethenes are used
as the nursery bags. The planting density for maximum productivity is 140–160 plants
per ha. Oil palm is commonly planted 9 m apart in a triangular pattern giving 143
plants/ha.

Management: Some of the managements practises that can be undertaken under palm
plantations include, weeding, irrigation in areas of low rainfall, fertilizer application and
control of diseases as they occur.

Harvesting: It can been done when a plant is 3-3.5 yrs old when the plants have started
fruiting. The indication for ripe fruits is loose detached at the base of the plant.
Harvesting is done with either cutlasses, chisels or Malayan knives. The latter consists of
a sickle on a long bamboo or aluminium pole. The process is done by cutting the bunch
from the stalk. In Africa, some trees can grow very tall and smooth stemed in which case
ropes are used to climb the plant and cutting done with a cutlass.
Prospects1
World demand for vegetable oils is rising sharply, from 100 million t in 2005 to an
estimated 150 million t in 2020, as the world population continues to grow and the
standards of living increase in many developing countries. The role of oil palm as a
supply of relatively inexpensive and versatile edible oil is, therefore, expected to become
ever more prominent. With best practices for cultivation and processing, it can produce
4–6 times more oil/ha than any of the other oil crops, in an economically and
environmentally sustainable manner. Extrapolations from crop-growth models suggest
that the physiological potential for oil yield of oil palm may well be 12–14 t/ha against
present maximum yields of 7 t/ha. The new possibility of clonal propagation is an
important factor in this respect. The main drawback of oil palm is the difficulty of cost-
effective mechanization of harvesting. Hence, availability and cost of labour may well
become limiting factors in producing countries with improving standards of living.
Well-established oil palm plantations provide an ecosystem that has some of the
characteristics of humid tropical forests. Recent studies have shown that the net carbon
sequestration by a mature oil palm ecosystem is higher than that of humid tropical
forests. The negative publicity on palm oil as being an ‘unhealthy tropical vegetable oil’
has been repeatedly proved unjustified by scientific evidence. On the other hand, much
needs to be done at national and regional levels, particularly in South-East Asia, to restore
the reputation of the oil palm as an ecologically sustainable plantation crop, as this has
been severely tarnished in the past decade by poorly controlled expansion causing air
pollution and unnecessary destruction of tropical forests. The ‘Roundtable on Sustainable
Palm Oil’, initiated by stakeholders of the Malaysian palm oil industry in 2003, appears
to be a move in the right direction in this respect.
In West Africa the smallholder sector of palm oil producers, processors and traders is
increasingly overtaking the privatized formal plantation sector in becoming the main
supplier for the ever-growing domestic markets. Sustainable palm oil production needs to
be redefined here, as the best management practices applied in the estate sector may be
incompatible with the socio-economic priorities of the smallholders and their families.

REFERENCES:
Kwarteng J. A, West African Agriculture.
http://www.prota .org

1
www.prota.org