Artisanal and small-scale palm oil producers occupy a greater share of Ghana’s palm oil processing industry, producing 60–80% of the country’s palm oil. However, the current processing systems used by the palm oil producers are mainly the traditional metal cooking pots and steel tanks.
Do small-scale palm oil processing units in Ghana have weak milling capacity?
The women rely on primitive ways or travel long distances within the district to mill their palm fruit. This infrastructural challenge confirms the work of Angelucci ( Citation 2013) that shows small-scale palm oil processing units in Ghana have weak milling capacity.
Why is palm oil a problem in Ghana?
A large percentage of the palm oil produced by small-scale processors cannot be utilized by the larger scale industries in Ghana or abroad because of its poor quality. There is an urgent need to explore the causes and to identify ways to address the situation.
How palm oil is processed?
However, the processing systems used by the palm oil producers are mainly the traditional metal cooking pots and steel tanks. These are loaded with the palm nuts and set on the traditional cooking stove using an open fire, with excessive smoke, polluting the environment.