Biomass Production from Oil Palm and Its Value Chain

Abstract

This work examined biomass production from oil palm and its value chain in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. This work identified the various biomass products derived from oil palm, the value chain of the various types of oil palm Biomass and the level of Utilization of the various oil palm biomass. Ten villages were selected using simple random sampling method. 380 questionnaires were collected out of 400 that were distributed which helped in generating data on the level of utilization of the various types of biomass derived from oil palm and the farming practices applied in the cultivation of oil palm. The first Hypothesis stated that the level of utilization of the various biomass products derived from oil palm in Nsit Ibom local government area is significant and was tested using Chi-Square. The second Hypothesis stated that the value chain of oil palm biomass is significantly related to the level of utilization in Nsit Ibom local government area and was tested using Multiple Correlation Analysis. From the test of hypothesis using 0.05 significant, there is a significant impact of oil palm biomass utilisation on rural livelihood in Nsit Ibom LGA. The Multiple Correlation Coefficient of 0.68 shows that there is a relationship between oil palm biomass and utilisation in Nsit Ibom LGA. 37.5% of respondents show that utilization of biomass from oil palm is extremely high. The major biomass generated are Empty Palm Bunch (EPB), Palm Kernel Meal (PKM) and Palm Pressed Fibre (PPF). The value added product are categorized into two: food and non-food products. Food product includes cooking Oil, Deep Frying Oils, Margarines and spreads Bakery fats, Cocoa butter, alternative fats, Confectionary fats, Ice cream fats, Infants nutrition fats and Other food applications while non-food product includes Cosmetics and personal care Soaps, Candles, Pharmaceuticals, Lubrications and agro-chemicals. Therefore, it was recommended that comprehensive training of farmers on palm oil processing technologies should be enhanced in order to enhance the utilization of its biomass. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2020-01-01-04 Full Text: PDF