RI to Develop Oil Palm Plantations in Tanzania

Jakarta - The Indonesian government is looking into the possibility of investing in oil palm plantations in Tanzania, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said Tuesday.
"In the era of globalization, we can develop plantations not only at home but also abroad,” he said in commenting on the results of his recent visit to the African country.
He said Tanzania now has around 59 million hectares of oil palm plantations and its climate which is not much different from Indonesia's is worth considering to make investment.
Every hectare of oil palm plantation in Tanzania now can produce 6 tons of palm oil, making opportunities to invest in the sector wide open, he said.
He said his office will soon send an expert team to Tanzania to look into the possibility of investment in the country''s oil palm plantations.
Indonesia and Malaysia currently supply 80 percent of the global need for palm oil, while the remaining 20 percent come from Thailand and India, he said.
Data from the Agriculture Ministry show Indonesia''s crude palm oil (CPO) output reaches 16 million tons per year, 12 million tons of which are exported. (Source: Antara080507)