• How much palm oil does Rwanda import?
  • Imports In 2022, Rwanda imported $124M in Palm Oil, becoming the 63rd largest importer of Palm Oil in the world. At the same year, Palm Oil was the 3rd most imported product in Rwanda. Rwanda imports Palm Oil primarily from: Malaysia ($46.8M), Indonesia ($35.4M), Kenya ($25.9M), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($13M), and Singapore ($1.05M).
  • Why is African palm oil a risky investment?
  • Investors may see risk in African palm oil caused by stranded land and reputation risk. Palm oil buyers and FMCGs linked to escalated cases of land- grabbing and violence against local communities include Wilmar, Olam, Danone, PZ Cussons, FrieslandCampina, Nestl¨¦, and Kellogg¡¯s. Financiers and companies face reputation and regulation risk.
  • What challenges does the oil palm sector face?
  • Production issues On the production or supply side, the oil palm sector faces several significant challenges that include new scientific advances, changing patterns of global trade and consumer sentiment, and the related issues of labour and mechanization.
  • What are the environmental impacts of oil palm expansion?
  • Documented negative environmental impacts from such expansion include biodiversity declines, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. However, oil palm generally produces more oil per area than other oil crops, is often economically viable in sites unsuitable for most other crops and generates considerable wealth for at least some actors.
  • How sustainable is oil palm production?
  • The sustainability of oil palm production will depend in part on using cover crops, especially under suboptimal conditions. Leguminous cover crops are grown to (a) coexist with oil palm following jungle clearing and planting/replanting, (b) provide complete cover to an otherwise bare soil, and (c) protect from erosion.
  • What challenges will the oil palm crop system face in the 2020s?
  • The oil palm crop system faces many challenges in the 2020s. These include increasing incidence of new and existing pests/diseases and a general lack of climatic resilience, especially relating to elevated temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, plus downstream issues relating to supply chains and consumer sentiment.