Oil palm is a perennial crop. The main produce which is palm oil is used for human consumption, animal consumption and industrial applications. Palm oil can be processed into other food products which are used for human and animals.
Palm oil can also be processed into industrial products like biodiesel. Nigeria is said to produce about 4% of the global palm oil output.
Oil palm is not grown in all the states in Nigeria. Palm oil is predominantly cultivated in the southern Niger Delta belt of Nigeria, though some farmers grow oil palm in some northern states in Nigeria, though on a small scale.
Nigeria is said to be one of the largest producer of palm oil in Nigeria.
The Largest Palm Oil Producing States in Nigeria
The following are the highest palm oil producing states in Nigeria:
Edo State
Edo State is one of the southern states in Nigeria. It is in the Niger Delta belt of Nigeria. Edo state has some of the largest oil palm plantations in Nigeria. Edo state is home to the two largest oil palm plantations in Nigeria namely Okomu Oil Palm Plantation and Presco Oil Palm Plantations.
Flourmills Nigeria, Dufil and Saro Africa are all planting thousands of hectares of oil palm plantations in Edo State. Edo state is arguably the highest palm oil producing state in Nigeria.
Delta State
Delta state is in the rain forest belt of Nigeria. It is a southern Nigerian state that receives a lot of rainfall every year. Delta state is one of the highest palm producing states in Nigeria.
Delta State has a lot of oil palm farmers. Oil palm is widely grown in almost all towns and villages in Delta State.
Ondo State
Ondo State is a south western state of Nigeria. Oil aplm is widely grown in the southern part of Ondo State which falls under the rain forest belt of Nigeria.
Ondo state is also one of the highest palm oil producing states in Nigeria. Ondo State has one of the largest oil palm plantations (Okitipupa Oil Palm) in Nigeria.
Osun State
Osun state is also a south western state in Nigeria. It has a number of oil palm plantations. It is also one of the largest palm oil producing states in Nigeria.
Cross Rivers
Cross Rivers State is in the Niger Delta belt of Nigeria. It is a south southern state in Nigeria. Cross Rivers has about 380,000 hectares of oil palm plantation. The state has about 19,000 registered oil palm farmers.
Cross Rivers state is in the tropical rain forest belt of Nigeria. It receives rainfall for over 7 months in a year; this makes it an ideal place to grow oil palm. It is arguably one of the highest palm oil producing states in Nigeria.
Rivers State
Rivers state is also a state in the tropical rain forest belt of Nigeria. It is a southern Niger Delta state. Rivers State receives a lot of rainfall annually and has about 200,000 hectares of farmland under cultivation for oil palm.
Rivers state has about 15,000 registered oil palm farmers. The palm oil produced from Rivers State is said to be of a very high quality. Ikwerre and Etche local government areas of Rivers state are the largest palm oil producing areas of the state.
Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom state is a state located in the rain forest belt of Nigeria. It is a southern state in Nigeria. Akwa Ibom has about 20,000 oil palm farmers. Oil palm farms are common in this state.
About 290,000 hectares of farmland are under cultivation for oil palm in Akwa Ibom State. Akwa Ibom produces about 300,000 tons of palm oil every year.
Imo State
Imo State is the home of Adapalm, one of the largest oil palm plantations in Nigeria. Imo state is a southern state in Nigeria. It produces about 275,000 tons of palm oil every year.
This state has about 30,000 oil palm farmers despite its small size. Imo state is also one of the highest palm oil producing states in Nigeria.
Other palm oil producing states in Nigeria are:
- Bayelsa State
- Anambra State
- Ebonyi State
- Abia State
- Ekiti State
- Oyo State
- Lagos State
- Kogi State
- Taraba State
- Nasarawa State etc.
Edo state remains the highest palm oil producing state in Nigeria.