The world’s population will reach 9.8 billion by 2050, with significant growth in the least developed countries. Meanwhile, the amount of arable land per person is shrinking, with a projected decline of 0.38 hectares in 1970 to 0.15 hectares per person by 2050. The world’s consumption of vegetable oils has more than doubled in the past two decades, from 87 million tonnes in 2000/2001 to 208 million tonnes in 2020/2021. This begs the question: how can we produce sustainable vegetable oils to feed the growing world population while safeguarding the natural environment?
Palm oil could be the answer
Palm oil tops the list of oil crops for yield. It requires less than one-eighth as much land as soy to produce the same quantity of oil. Today, palm oil accounts for 6% of all cultivated land for vegetable oils globally; but produces over one-third of the total output.
Dekel Agri-Vision PLC (LON:DKL) aspires to become a leading agro-industrial company in West Africa, one that creates value for shareholders whilst at all times placing the interests of the local communities and environment in which it operates in at the heart of its operations.
