Ghanaian Palm Oil Processors Unable to Meet Export Demands Due to Shortage of Raw Palm Fruits

Ghanaian palm oil processors are unable to meet export demands due to the unavailability of raw palm fruits for processing. Some local crude palm oil processors claimed that heavy rains in farming communities caused the shortage of palm fruits this season. Ghana currently has about 360,000ha of palm plantations under cultivation and produces about 250,000MT of crude palm oil annually. However, this falls short of what is required for both industrial and local consumption. It is estimated that the country imports between 30,000-100,000MT annually to meet this shortfall in the domestic market.