Oil for sale.

In "Orangutans in Peril" (p. 18), you learned that worldwide demand for palm oil is threatening the survival of orangutans. This activity will help you learn more about palm oil production in Indonesia, the home country of many orangutans.

Table 1: Total area of mature oil palms * in Indonesia
(in thousand hectares) *

Year     1998    1999    2000    2001    2002    2003

Total   1,828   2,022   2,208   2,465   2,734   2,937
Area

* PALM OIL IS HARVESTED FROM THE FRUIT OF MATURE OIL PALMS.

Table 2: Indonesian production and export of palm oil
(in thousand million tons)

Year          1995    1996    1997    1998    1999    2000    2001

Palm oil     4,220   4,540   5,380   5,361   6,250   7,050   8,030
production

Palm oil     1,855   1,851   2,982   2,260   3,319   4,140   4,940
export

Year          2002

Palm oil     9,020
production

Palm oil     6,380
export

SOURCE: WWW.FOE.CO.UK/RESOURCE/REPORTS/GREASY_PALMS_BUYERS.PDF

Part A: Graph It

On a separate piece of paper, create a double-line graph showing how much palm oil Indonesia produced and exported from 1995 to 2002.

(Hint: Label the x-axis as year and the y-axis as thousand million tons. Use two different-color pencils: one to show palm oil production and another to show palm oil export. Don't forget to give your graph a title.)

Part B: Analyze the Data

Use the charts above and your graph to help you answer the following in complete sentences.

1. How much palm oil was produced in Indonesia in 1998?

2. Did the total area of mature oil palms increase or decrease between 1998 and 2003? How much did the area change by?

3. In 2000, how much of the palm oil produced in Indonesia was not exported to other countries?

4. Describe the trend for palm oil production in Indonesia from 1995 to 2002.

5. Compare the data in Table 1 and Table 2. What can you infer about Indonesia's palm oil industry between 1998 and 2002?

ANSWERS

1. In 1998, 5,361 thousand million tons of palm oil were produced in Indonesia.

2. The total area of mature oil palms increased between 1998 and 2003. The area increased by 1,109 thousand hectares.

3. Of the 7,050 thousand million tons of palm oil produced in Indonesia in 2000, 2,910 thousand million tons were not exported to other countries.

4. Between 1995 and 2002 palm oil production increased every year except between 1997 and 1998. Between those years, production declined by 19 thousand million tons.

5. Between 1998 and 2002, production and export of palm oil increased every year. The total area of mature oil palms increased every year between 1998 and 2002 as well. This increase in area helped meet the rising demand for palm oil.