• What percentage of Colombia is suited for oil palm cultivation?
  • The study showed that the ZIDRES correspond 75.5 percent with areas of the country deemed apt for oil palm cultivation. Fedepalma told Mongabay it worked alongside the agro-industrial association Agricultural Society of Colombia (SAC) to ¡°analyze the legislative proposals¡± presented by ZIDRES.
  • Does Colombia produce palm oil?
  • Following the economic liberalization of Colombia¡¯s economy in the 1990s and then the 2002 election of former President Alvaro Uribe, the palm oil industry began a trajectory of rapid growth over the next 16 years. Today, Colombia produces more palm oil than any other country in Latin America and is considered the fourth-largest producer worldwide.
  • When did oil palm plantation start in Colombia?
  • Commercial oil palm cultivation in Colombia began in 1945 when a U.S.-based company established a plantation in the banana zone of the Magdalena department.
  • Is palm oil deforestation-free in Colombia?
  • Colombia¡¯s palm oil sector promotes itself as ¡®deforestation-free¡¯; however, this claim ignores the land-use change and environmental degradation that accompanies expansion into the Llanos del Orinoco, which now accounts for about forty per cent of palm oil produced in Colombia.
  • Why is palm oil important in Colombia?
  • Palm oil, together with ethanol, also forms the backbone to Colombia¡¯s biodiesel industry, which by law must account for 10 percent of automobile fuel sold nationwide. Commercial oil palm cultivation in Colombia began in 1945 when the U.S.-based United Fruit Company established a plantation in the banana zone of the Magdalena department.
  • Will a ban on palm oil affect Colombia’s biofuel industry?
  • Earlier this year, Colombia¡¯s palm oil industry and central government expressed concern that the European Parliament¡¯s vote to ban the use of palm oil in all European biofuels by 2020 ¨C due largely to concerns over environmental impacts ¨C would negatively affect the industry in Colombia.