Where Is Palm Oil Grown?

Palm oil (elaeis guineensis) is a tropical oil. The ideal growing conditions are only within 10 degrees north or south of the equator. These growing regions house vast areas of the tropical rainforest which are rich in biodiversity. Global demand for edible vegetable oils have grown rapidly in recent years. Hence, palm oil plantations have expanded considerably in order to meet global demand.

 

Top Producing Nations (Jan - Dec 2015)

1. Indonesia: 33.4 million tonnes of palm oil 

2. Malaysia: 19.9 million tonnes of palm oil

3. Thailand: 1.8 million tonnes of palm oil

4. Colombia: 1.2 million tonnes of palm oil 

5. Nigeria: 0.94 million tonnes of palm oil

6. Ecuador: 0.53 million tonnes of palm oil 

7. Guatemala: 0.52 million tonnes of palm oil

8. Papua New Guinea: 0.5 million tonnes of palm oil 

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From 1980s, palm oil production has increased tremendously (tenfold) and is expected to increase by additional 50% by 2050. From above, Indonesia is the largest palm producer followed by Malaysia. Both countries account for approximately 84% of world's palm production.

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It is estimated that there are 17 million hectares of mature palm oil plantations across the equator producing up to 62 million tonnes of palm oil in 2015. The second largest global vegetable oil - soya, takes up roughly 120 million hectares, producing around 48 million tonnes of soya oil.

2015 Global Palm Oil Production by Country from GreenPalm: