NECESSITATING FACTORS TO NIGERIAN FAILURE ON PALM OIL

Abstract

The oil palm tree, is originally a native crop of the tropical forest of West Africa. Palm oil trade emergedduring the British Industrial Revolution, whereby it was used for machines lubrication. Nigeria is among thefew places where the fruit was first discovered before the 14th century. Palm oil serves as the main vegetableoil produced globally, generating almost 60% of international trade in vegetable oils. In 1960s, Nigeria wasthe largest palm oil-producing and exporting country in the world. This accounted for forty-three percent ofentire palm oil global production, but the production entirely declined as a result of other factors that causedslow growth in palm oil production, while the domestic consumption has increased. Now it produces ameagre 1.7 percent of total world production which is insufficient for local consumption. Nigeria lost itsposition to Malaysia and Indonesia. Nigeria currently does not export palm oil, but it imports it fromMalaysia and Indonesia due to the local shortfall. The objective of this paper, explores the necessitatingfactors to Nigerian failure on palm oil, the paper is a qualitative research, it has adopted document analysis,the findings of the paper are the necessitating factors that led to the Nigerian failure on palm oil whichinclude; oil boom and decline in agriculture, civil war, traditional system of palm oil production, inconclusion, these factors are the failure to Nigerian palm oil production.
 Keywords: Nigerian Background, Oil Palm, Palm Oil, Necessitating Factors