Can Tanzania develop oil palm plantation & processing?
Tanzania has the potential to develop oil palm plantation and processing The main oil palm planting areas in Tanzania include Kigoma, Kyela District and Tanga. Due to the suitable soil and climate, the Kigoma area undertakes more than 80% of Tanzania’s palm oil production tasks.
Should oil palm oil be expanded beyond Kigoma Region?
Particular emphasis is on expanding the production zones for oil palm oil beyond Kigoma region, the traditional production area. The 19,641 hectares currently farmed represents just 17.2% of the area suitable for growing oil palm, suggesting significant room for expansion (4).
Where does Kigoma palm oil come from?
Kigoma region accounts for over 80 percent of the palm oil produced in the country, the remaining 20 percent comes from Kyela District in Mbeya region. In the Kigoma region palm oil is grown on smallholder farms and processed manually. The main point of sale for Kigoma palm oil is local and in crude form.
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 sunflower oil?
However, the country has a large and growing refined sunflower oil industry that can substitute these imports. Sunflower oil comprises 83% of total edible oils produced in Tanzania but meets only 30% of demand. Sunflower farmer in Tanzania
Does Tanzania import cooking oil?
Given a shortfall of 360K metric tons, Tanzania imports over 60% of the country’s cooking oil. This costs USD 250M in palm oil imports every year, making it the sector with the second highest foreign exchange transactions by value. However, the country has a large and growing refined sunflower oil industry that can substitute these imports.