**3. Demand for oil palm and its bi-products**

Corley [23] predicted that the global demand for palm oil would double and exceed 93 million metric tons by 2050. The increase in demand is attributed to general increase in global population, the relatively lower and stable prices of palm oil and the suitability of oil palm as a crop for vegetable oil production. Demand for palm oil is driven majorly by the food industry accounting for over 80% and the industrial uses including oleo chemical industry accounting for 20% [24]. Palm vegetable oil, a product of either oil palm fruit mesocarp or kennel, is widely gaining acceptance in the food industry due to the decreasing demand in genetically modified organisms (GMO) based oils among consumers and its associated health benefits. Oil palm can also be used in the paper and plywood industry, compressed wood industry, and the renewable energy/biodiesel industry [25–29]. Crude palm oil from the mesocarp fruit has been traditionally used for food in Africa for millennia and remains a main component of food, especially in the west and central Africa. In Uganda, the current entire oil-seed production meets half of the demand and the other half is mainly from crude palm oil imports from South East Asia. Both the locally produced and imported crude palm oil in Uganda are refined into vegetable oil or used in the manufacture of soaps and detergents. The wide gap in demand for palm oil for use in the food, energy, and manufacturing industries is an opportunity for Uganda to exploit through the expansion of oil palm production. This opportunity is being spearheaded by the government of Uganda and its partners through the expansion of oil palm production from Lake Victoria islands to other suitable areas across the country.
