OIL PALM IN COLOMBIA
It is the most productive oilseed on the planet; one hectare planted produces between six and ten times more oil than other hectare. Colombia is the fourth largest producer of palm oil in the world and the largest in Latin America.
Year-end 2024 figures
Each hectare planted with oil palm represents opportunities for employment, sustainability, and economic growth
169
Municipalities
21
Departments
+8
THOUSAND
PRODUCERS
PRODUCERS
- 74% small-scale
- 23% medium-scale
- 32% women
75 Palm oil mills
609 k
hectares planted
- 84% in production
- 16% en desarrollo
233 k
total jobs
- 86% Formal employment
-
Averge wage
1,4 Times the Minimum Monthly Wage -
+93 thousand
Empleos directos
Woman 17,5% Men 82,5%
1,72 millon tons
CPO production
7.8 millon tons
fresh fruit bunches
288 mill t
palm kernel production
Production value
USD 1.86 billons
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
- Palm oil is the most consumed oil caround the world.
- It is naturally free of trans fats.
- It is a natural source of vitam E,
-
an antioxidant that protects the
brain and heart.
382 thousans tons
export market sales of palm oil declared to FEP**
22% of national production
1.33 millon tons
of palm oil sold in the domestic market
78% of national production
31.400 t
Sales of palm kernel oil to the domestic market
90.800 t
Palm kernel oil
exports
exports
Oil palm is the most productive oilseed in the world. With only 8% of the total cultivated area for oilseeds, it contributes 34% of the world's production
- 10.5% of the agricultural GDP in Colombia
- Fifth-largest exporter in the agricultural sector
- 96 % of the local oils and fats production
Annual per capita consumption
27,3 kg
palm oil
palm oil
390
CERTIFIED PRODUCERS
in sustainability standards
32%
CPO PRODUCRION
holds a sustainability certificate
18% palm oil production
certified under the APS Colombia standard
Palm Oil in Colombia is NOT a driver of DEFORESTATION
First productive sector in Colombian agriculture with a real-time satellite deforestation monitoring system
18, 5
million hectares monitored
(16% of the national territory)
(16% of the national territory)
99%
of the cultivated area for oil palm in Colombia is deforestation-free (2011 – 2024)*
2
geovisors (private and public)
*Source: Information data updated from Satelligence (2024)
**FEP: acronym in Spanish - Fondo de Estabilización de Precios
**FEP: acronym in Spanish - Fondo de Estabilización de Precios
The Colombian palm oil sector exceeds CORSIA's minimum emissions reduction threshold (10%), showcasing the significant potential for the advanced low-emission biofuels market
% GHG emissions reduction according to CORSIA’s methodology
Indonesia / Malasia
Colombia
Open ponds
-
11% - 73%
Closet ponds
14%
47% - 110%
Carbon footprint for crude palm oil
182 Kg CO2e/Ton APC
(Open ponds 2021)
182 Kg CO2e/Ton APC
(Potential 100% closed ponds)
The versatility of palm oil allows for multiple uses in the food, oleochemical, renewable energy, and environmentally friendly biomass-derived products industries, such as:
