• Does Gabon have a palm oil industry?
  • With 88% of land covered by forests, Gabon¡¯s development of palm oil requires careful thought (Burton et al., 2016). The palm oil industry in Gabon is solely represented by the Singapore listed agri-business company, Olam International.
  • Why do we plant palm trees in Gabon?
  • Olam¡¯s plantation at Mouila where palm is planted around areas of High Conservation Value to create an ecological network within the landscape. Gabon urgently needs to develop an economy less dependent on fossil fuels, as well as providing much needed private sector employment. (See Gabon fact box on page 4.)
  • Is palm oil a low-cost frontier?
  • In recent decades, the global market for palm oil has grown significantly. With South-East Asia¡¯s land availability becoming increasingly scarce, the next low-cost frontier for production is Africa, more specifically Gabon. Gabon has cheap factors of production paired with an equatorial climate conducive to cultivating palm oil.
  • Does Olam sell palm oil?
  • Olam is responsible for the physical sourcing of less than 1% of the total volume of palm oil produced globally, 270,000 MT3 selling to customers primarily in Asia, Africa and Europe. We also participate in paper trading of palm oil as a risk mitigation tool. In this scenario, no physical oil is delivered.
  • Can OPG help preserve biodiversity in Gabon?
  • A biodiversity action plan put in place in 2022 will further monitor wildlife and produce scientific evidence of the positive role played by OPG in preserving biodiversity in the forests of Gabon. The business has implemented the largest irrigation project in a palm plantation in the world.
  • How does logging affect the environment in Gabon?
  • Although burning is less common in Gabon, logging of HCS forestry releases emissions into the atmosphere which damages the stratospheric ozone layer and increases the risk of acid rain, ultimately fuelling global warming (Hanley et al., 2007). Hunt (2010) adds that removing tropical forestry causes carbon to escape into the atmosphere.