Palm oil effects

1. Palm oil trees can grow up to 20 metres tall with an average life of 25 years.


2. Palm oil grows across or 10 degrees north / south of the equator.


3. The tree starts to bear fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) after three years.


4. The oil palm tree is also know as Elaeis Guineensis.


5. Each individual piece of fruit on fruit bunch contains 50% oil.


6. The nut, referred to as a kernel, at the centre of each piece of fruit, is where palm kernel oil is extracted from.


7. Palm oil can be harvested 12 months of the year.


8. Each tree can produce 10 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches per hectare.


9. On average 3.9 tonnes of crude palm oil and 0.5 tonnes of palm kernel oil can be extracted per hectare.


10. Leftover fibre from the palm kernel mill process provides a product called palm kernel expeller. This is used in animal feed, but can also be used to make products like paper or fertilizer.


11. Palm oil requires 10 times less land than other oil-producing crops.


12. It is entirely GM free

Palm oil is an important and versatile vegetable oil which is used as a raw material for both food and non-food industries.