Oil Palm Expansion

The oil palm is native to West Africa where the main palm belt sprinted from Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon to the equatorial regions of the Republics of Congo and Zaire (Corley and Tinker, 2003). It played the important role at the village scale for many centuries (Hardon et al. 1985). The species name of the oil palm, guineensis, refers to the discovery of the in the Gulf of Guinea area (Jacquemard, 1998). The genus also contains Elaeis oleifera (H.B.K), known as American oil palm and common wild species in Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. The spreading of the oil palm started in the sixteenth century from Africa to Brazil with the arrival of African slaves to the American continent. The developments of oil palm

The expansion of palm oil supplies has been a key factor in meeting the rising global demand for vegetable oils, particularly by developing countries like China and India (Figure 2.2). Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s dominant palm oil producers and exporters, with Indonesia emerging as the largest producer since about 2005, and as the largest exporter in 2011 (FOA). Plantation or perennial crops play an important role in the Malaysian economy and a dominant role in its agricultural sector. Data from Malaysia Palm Oil Board state that 5076929 Ha were planted with oil palm in 2012 (http://bepi.mpob.gov.my/images/area/2012/Area_summary.pdf), increase 93% from only 3376664 Ha in year 2000 (Yusof, 2004) as shown in Figure 2.2

Only about 10% of palm oil is for non-edible use such as oleochemical manufacture and the rest are edible purpose (Sambanthamurthi et al. 2000). With development of a refinery industry in Malaysia, a wide range of palm oil product for foods available in market such as cooking oil, shortenings, margarines, low fat spread, ice cream, mayonnaise, salad, cocoa butter and many more (Yusof, 2004). Palm oil is a good source of solid fat for many purposes. Although non-food application is only about 10%, but they are high added value. Oleochemicals in general consist of a long carbon chain, one end of which is lipophobic and water soluble, and the other hydrocarbon end lipophilic and fat soluble (Corley and Tinker, 2003). Such compound can be use directly or indirectly (Yusof, 2004). Soap, epoxidized palm oil, polycrylate coatings, printing ink, fuel and drilling mud are the example for olechemical that can be use directly. There are also oleochemical-based products in the market, as example cosmetic, health food, food wrapper, lubricants, greases, and agrochemicals product. Furthermore, the oil palm waste such as empty fruit bunch, pruned frond and trunk will be produced a biocomposites or biomass fiber. It implies that if fully exploited, the oil palm industry can enhance its