The concept and feasibility of Integrated Complex Processing and its advantages for the Palm Oil Industry were described. The Integrated Complex Processing consisting of 2 palm oil mills, a refinery, a kernel crushing plant and a central workshop was successfully implemented with the sharing of common facility, power,manpower and utilities. There were significant economic advantages for the mills, palm oil refinery and kernel crushing plant. [Authors' abstract].
The global palm oil sector faces ongoing threats to sustainability caused by deforestation, peatland development, labor rights violations and land right conflicts. Additionally, integrating smallholders into sustainable palm oil supply chains continues to be a challenge for the industry. Financial service providers (FSPs) could play a role in stimulating sustainability commitments from the palm oil companies they finance. Their potential influence stems from their capacity to set environmental, social and governance (ESG) conditions for financial services. This research shows that European and US FSPs are further along than their counterparts in Asia in adopting policies that include ESG risk assessments as part of the process for providing financial services. However, attention to smallholder inclusion is insufficient in the policies of all FSPs included in this report. Differences between European and US versus Asian FSPs in adopting ESG standards, as well as the unique markets they finance, present a risk that two parallel but separate financial systems could emerge. Efforts by both government and nongovernmental organizations should emphasize the prevention of a two-tiered marketplace with different quality requirements for palm oil. All actors in this sector still require a significant shift in thinking on the benefits of including ESG standards in cultivation and production processes. In palm oil producing countries, the lack of specific banking regulations emphasizing sustainability concerns regarding the sector forms a further hindrance to positive developments.
This study was carried out in three major palm-oil producing areas in Cameroon with the aim of investigating the artisanal milling and commercialization of red palm oil. Structured and semi-structured questionnaires were administered; focus group discussions and participatory observation were applied to obtain required information. Those involved were identified and the service providers ranged from mill owners or managers to smallholders and intermediaries, some of which were involved in two or three of the services. All told, 83% of those involved were men, and the women represented 17% of the service providers. Six different types of processing equipment were identified in the production areas and it was revealed that semi-automated press and combined motorized hydraulic digester and press system (digester screw press) were the most efficient. After harvesting of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs), the major operations were: chopping or cutting, stripping, selecting and sieving, loading to drums for boiling, off-loading to the digester or press for crushing and/or pressing, and clarifying of palm oil. Family labor, hired labor or both, contributed greatly to the success of the milling operations. Family labor was not paid, but motivations were given to family members, while hired labor was paid per activity. The average cost of labor per ton of FFB in the study area was 8,812 FCFA for both peak and low seasons. The average net return in the processing and marketing of 1 ton of FFB was 32,207 FCFA in peak season and 46,556 FCFA in low season. This income-generating activity was ranked as the first main source of income in the study area and has valuable contributions in household livelihood. The production of palm kernel oil and local soap was also recorded in the area, but this was mainly for home use and not for sale. Poor accessibility and unstable prices were the main constraints in the production process. While the men were dominant in processing, women were dominant in the commercialization of RPO. Artisanal palm-oil milling is a lucrative business in the area and will go a long way to alleviate poverty if the smallholders could come together and form a dynamic scheme.
