Jul 28, 2026
Brazil Could Triple Palm Oil Production in Ten Years
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Brazil has the potential to triple oil palm planting in the next ten years using areas already cleared in the Amazon according to the president of the Brazilian Association of Palm Oil Producers (Abrapalma). The oil palm acreage in Brazil has grown 30% in the last five years to 280,000 hectares (691,600 acres) and he feels it could triple in the next ten years.
Oil palm production can only be carried out in degraded areas that were deforested prior to 2008, helping the land to recover while generating income for family farmers in the Amazon. With this environmental rule and a traceability mechanism implemented by the State of Para, Brazil can offer guarantees to European buyers that palm oil production in Brazil is not a vector for deforestation.
The area for oil palm production in Brazil is small compared to soybeans representing just 0.5% of the area devoted to soybeans, but oil palm has a much higher productivity than soybeans for oil production. With just 0.5% of the area of soybeans, oil palm produces the equivalent of 5% of the volume of soybean oil.
Brazil imports about 30% of its palm oil needs, or up to 1 million tons mainly for the food industry. Most of Brazil's palm oil impots originate from Indonesia, the world's largest producer.