• mayjoy palm oil mill widely used in Congo
  • mayjoy palm oil mill widely used in Congo
  • mayjoy palm oil mill widely used in Congo
  • mayjoy palm oil mill widely used in Congo
  • Will oil palm production increase in the Congo Basin?
  • Land area allocated to oil palm increased by 40% in the Congo Basin and five additional top-producing countries in Africa between 1990 and 2017. Without intervention, future production increases in the region will likely come from expansion rather than intensification due to low crop and processing yields, possibly at the expense of forest.
  • Where can oil palm be grown in the Congo Basin?
  • Most of the roughly 280 million hectares (Mha) of additional land suitable for oil palm in the Congo Basin are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (60%), Cameroon (11%) and the Republic of Congo (10%). Many heavily forested countries in the Congo Basin are setting national targets to increase production to meet national and regional demands.
  • Can palm oil mills reduce deforestation in the Congo Basin?
  • Sustainability strategies initiated by companies and aimed at certifying palm oil mills are unlikely to be effective at curbing deforestation in the Congo Basin. Smallholder farmers are an engine of growth in the regions palm oil sector, and recent evidence suggests they are actively clearing forest to expand.
  • Why is the palm oil industry underdeveloped in Congo?
  • According to Djombo, the Congolese market can absorb a few hundred thousand tonnes of palm oil annually. One of the reasons why the local palm oil industry is underdeveloped is because of a lack of financing. Djombo says it is difficult to obtain medium- to long-term loans for agriculture in Congo.
  • Can Congo produce palm oil?
  • Djombo says it is not necessary for extensive market research to gauge the potential for the local production of palm oil: Congo’s official customs data shows the large volumes of oil currently brought in from as far afield as Malaysia. The prices at which the commodity is imported can also be found in the customs numbers.
  • Are palm oil mills regulated?
  • The vast majority of palm oil mills across the Congo Basin are unregulated non-industrial facilities that vary widely in scale and quality, in Southwest Cameroon for instance, they make up for 99 percent of the milling facilities. Many mills and third-party suppliers operate entirely independent of large public and private companies.