Palm oil and palm kernel contribute about 65% to the total vegetable oils and fats consumed in Nigeria. This implies that palm oil and palm kernel oil demand and supply is 1,279,525 tonnes and 739,427 tonnes, respectively, leaving a gap of 540,098 tonnes annually.
How is palm oil produced in Nigeria?
The NIFOR and other small/medium scale fabricated equipment are employed by processors who account for more than 60% of palm oil produced in Nigeria. The following process description is for a 20 tonne per hour fresh fruit bunch mill. The bunches are collected from the fields and delivered to the mill in tipping trucks and tractors with trailers.
Is palm olein tainted in Nigeria?
Presently, crude palm oil is imported for refining in Nigeria, although some quantities of refined bleached and deodorized palm olein are being disguised as crude palm oil and acid oils. Sometimes RBD palm olein is tainted with about 0.03% of crude palm olein and imported into the country as crude palm oil.
Why do Nigerian refineries use palm kernel oil?
More than 60% of refineries in Nigeria are built on palm kernel oil as raw materials. This is because processing of palm kernel oil involves degumming, bleaching, deodorization, cooling, and packaging. This product is liquid at ambient conditions except during the rainy season when the product congeals due to low temperatures (<20°C).