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History of the oil palm |
Palm oil has been in use for more than 5,000 years. It is produced from the fruit of the Elaeis guineensis tree that originated in West Guinea. After the 15th century it was introduced to other parts of Africa, South East Asia and Latin America along the equatorial belt.
In 1870 the oil palm was introduced in Malaysia as an ornamental plant. The first commercial plantings were undertaken in 1917. It was not until the 1960’s that production of palm oil was greatly expanded, to help reduce the economic dependence on rubber and coffee, which then represented the major sources of exchange revenue. Today, both Malaysia and Indonesia are the largest producers and exporters of palm oil in the world.
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