• Who owns the oil palm industry in Thailand?
  • The oil palm sector in Thailand, the world¡¯s third largest producer of palm oil, is predominantly sustained by smallholders, who manage more than 70% of the country¡¯s total oil palm cultivated area.
  • How much palm oil is produced in Thailand?
  • The total annual Crude Palm Oil extraction (CPO) was 2.96 million tons (+11.8%), up from 2.65 million tons in 2020. As of 2021, Thailand accounted for 3.8% of the global total Palm Oil production. There are approximately 390,000 Palm Oil farm households across the country. Large farmers tend to invest in their own Crude Palm Oil mills.
  • How sustainable is Thailand’s palm oil industry?
  • In Thailand¡¯s palm oil industry, characterised by its significant reliance on smallholder farmers, sustainability is both a challenge and an imperative. Recognising the pivotal role of smallholders and striving to elevate their practices towards sustainability, the RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard was introduced i n 2019.
  • What is palm oil used for in Thailand?
  • Palm oil has numerous uses in Thailand¡¯s food and chemical industries and is increasingly being used as a feedstock for biofuels. The production volume of oil palm in the country has somewhat increased with minor fluctuations over the years, in line with the country’s gradual increase in palm oil consumption .
  • Is Thailand’s palm oil production a dynamic farm sector?
  • H.E. Dr. Bernd Christiansen, Counselor for Agriculture and Food, the Embassy of Germany in Bangkok, said Thailand¡¯s palm oil production is a very dynamic farm sector since the production has almost trebled in volume since 2005.
  • Why do smallholders in Thailand produce low quality palm oil?
  • With these constraints, smallholders in Thailand produce low yields, resulting in a low quality of palm oil being extracted in the mills. Moreover, at present, only around 2% of Thailand¡¯s entire palm oil output is produced by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified smallholders and palm oil mills.