In Nigeria, it is cultivated in commercial quantity in 24 out of 36 states in Nigeria. The states are Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Taraba, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau. By extension NPPAN covers about four hundred and eighty-six local government areas (486) in the 24 producing states of Nigeria. States like Akwa Ibom, Edo Ondo and Cross River are the largest producers of oil palm and its derivatives.

The processing of palm fruit is the most important processing activity carried on in Nigeria.1 The end products, palm oil and palm kernels, have traditionally composed 15 to 20 per cent of Nigeria’s exports. In addition, palm oil is an important item in the Nigerian diet (as part of the traditional soup or sauce) and is used as an illuminant, cooking fat, and soap ingredient. Implicit production estimates based on marketing board purchases of palm kernels, for which there is little domestic use, indicate that internal consumption ranges from 80 to 150 percent of exports