Palm oil, told from the farms where it grows.
Chimeremeze Emeh grew up in Ngwa land, Abia State, watching palm fruit harvested, boiled and pressed into the red oil his community cooks with. This site follows that oil from the tree to your kitchen, the mill and the global market.
Start with the oil
One palm fruit gives two oils, and processing turns them into four products you will meet in kitchens and factories.
Follow the pathway
Every bottle of palm oil travels the same road, from a tree in the ground to a buyer somewhere in the world.
Farming & Production
Growing oil palms from seed to harvest, including the soil, climate and nursery care that decide your yield.
Industrial Applications
What happens to palm oil and its by-products after the mill, from derivatives and biofuel to kernel cake.
Sustainability
An honest look at deforestation, certification and labor, set beside how smallholders farm palm oil at home.
Market & Business
Prices, producers and the value chain, from roadside sellers in Nigeria to the largest exporting nations.
A note from the founder
I grew up in Ngwa land, Abia State, where palm oil is part of daily life rather than a commodity on a screen. I have watched fruit harvested, boiled and pressed, and I have farmed cassava for over thirty years. Through my workshops in Ntigha, I see palm tree owners cut ripe bunches yet rarely tend the trees between harvests. This site shares what I have seen, backed by research I cite openly.
From the Ntigha workshops
My most recent workshop with palm tree owners in Ntigha dealt with one habit I see across my community. Most owners check for ripe bunches, cut them and process the fruit, then leave the tree alone until the next harvest.