Edible vegetable oil production in eastern Africa: Current status and opportunities for improvement

Plant-derived oil is vital for food, feed and industrial applications. The four most produced and consumed plant-based oils globally are palm oil, soyabean oil, rapeseed and sunflower seed oil. The major producers of soyabeans are China, Argentina, USA and Brazil while rapeseed is produced mainly by China, Canada and Germany. The three major producers of sunflower are Ukraine, Russia and Argentina while palm oil is mainly produced by Indonesia and Malaysia. Africa has suitable agricultural lands and weather conditions for vegetable oil crops production for local and international oil markets. However, oil crop production and productivity in Africa are low, and the continent is a net importer of edible oil. Palm oil is the most imported edible oil to the African continent. This review aims to present an overview of edible oil crops production in eastern Africa and highlights the current status and opportunities for crop production and improvement. The East African region imports palm oil mainly from South-east Asia. To counter the high cost of importation, local production of edible oil crops is being promoted. Major oil crops that are produced in the East African region are sunflower, oil palm, sesame, rapeseed (canola), soyabean, groundnuts and coconut. Oil palm is produced in Tanzania and Uganda. In Ethiopia, the primary oilseed crops are sesame, niger seed (noug), and to a lesser extent, soyabeans. Despite efforts to spur local production of edible vegetable oils, the East African region is still a net importer of the commodity.