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| EFA (essential fatty acids) per hectare includes omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Production quantity data from FAOSTAT 2008 World Data. Yield data is estimated from various sources. Omega-6 and Omega-3 content from USDA Nutritional Database and other sources. EFAs data calculated from related data in this chart. |
| Oil Staple Crop | Production Total (metric tonnes) |
Oil Yield (kg/hectare) |
Omega-6 (percent) |
Omega-3 (percent) |
EFAs (total tonnes) |
EFAs (kg/hectare) |
| Palm oil (from pulp) | 38,936,925 | 4,000 kg/ha-yr | 10.5% | 0.3% | 4,205,188 | 432 |
| Soybean oil | 37,524,824 | 445 kg/ha | 50% | 7% | 21,389,150 | 254 |
| Rapeseed oil (canola) | 18,171,518 | 764 kg/ha | 18% | 9% | 4,906,310 | 206 |
| Sunflower oil (NuSun) | 11,027,327 | 570 kg/ha | 32.3% | 0% | 3,561,827 | 184 |
| Groundnut oil (peanut) | 5,797,109 | 760 kg/ha | 32% | 0% | 1,855,075 | 243 |
| Palm kernel oil | 5,140,477 | 291 kg/ha | 2.3% | 0% | 118,231 | 7 |
| Cottonseed oil | 4,988,201 | 392 kg/ha | 52% | 0% | 2,593,865 | 204 |
| Coconut oil (copra) | 3,752,825 | 1,350 kg/ha-yr | 3% | 0% | 112,585 | 41 |
| Olive oil, virgin | 2,886,019 | 2,000 kg/ha-yr | 8% | 0% | 230,882 | 160 |
| Maize oil (corn) | 2,217,006 | 138 kg/ha | 59% | 0% | 1,308,034 | 81 |
| Sesame seed oil | 944,111 | 239 kg/ha | 45% | 0% | 424,850 | 108 |
| Flaxseed oil (linseed) | 642,974 | 1450 kg/ha | 14% | 58% | 462,941 | 1044 |
| Safflower oil | 155,376 | 662 kg/ha | 75% | 0% | 116,532 | 497 |
| Analysis: Palm oil stands out as the best use of land area for edible oil production, especially since one and the same fruit produces both palm oil and palm kernel oil. Olive oil is a distant second to Palm oil in use of land area. Note that palm, coconut, and olive oil figures are per year, other figures are per crop. Taking this factor into account would give an equivalent in kg/ha-yr of two to three times the per crop value. But even comparing flax per crop to palm oil per year, flax far exceeds plam and olive and all other oil staple crops in production of essential fatty acids per hectare. Flax is also by far the best oil staple crop for production of omega-3 fat per hectare. A substantial increase in production of flaxseed for oil would do much to improve the fat nutrition of the world. -- However, there are other good potential oil staples crops, described below. | ||||||
| Candidate Oil Staple Crop |
Seed Yield (kg/ha) |
Oil Yield (kg oil/hectare) |
Omega-6 (percent) |
Omega-3 (percent) |
Protein (kg/hectare) |
EFAs (kg/hectare) |
| Camelina sativa oil | 3,370 kg/ha | 1,340 | 20% | 35% | 910 | 737 |
| Chia seed oil | 1,500 kg/ha | 450 | 19% | 58% | 450 | 374 |
| Hemp seed oil | 2,000 | 600 | 60% | 20% | 500 | 480 |
| Pumpkin seed oil | 1,680 kg/ha | 672 | 42% | 0.5% | 588 | 286 |
| Sacha Inchi seed oil | 4,000 kg/ha-yr | 1,600 kg/ha-yr | 36.8% | 48.6% | 1,320 kg/ha-yr | 1,366 kg/ha-yr |
| Winged bean oil | 2,200 kg/ha | 297 | 33.1% | 1.5% | 634 | 102 |
| Chufa oil | 11,000 kg/ha | 4,400 | 12.7% | 0.2% | 550 | 567 |
| Salicornia seeds | 2,000 kg/ha | 600 | 73% | 2% | 600 | 450 |
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Camelina sativa oil: High in omega-3 yet shelf stable up to two years, due to natural antioxidants. Taste is mild without much refinement. An economical crop due to minimal input requirements. Seed is twice as high in oil as soybean. Oil cake (camelina meal) is similar in nutrition to soymeal, and is high in essential amino acids, including lysine. Best candidate oil staple crop. Chia seed oil currently has too low a production per hectare; acceptability to the marketplace is probably low also. But the oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, so the crop deserves further investigation and development. Hemp seed oil also has close to an ideal proportion of omega-6 to omega-3. The crop is problematic in the U.S. and some other nations, which ban the growing of hemp, but permit the import and sale of hemp products. Hemp seed is an excellent source of protein, including all essential amino acids, and an excellent source of fat and essential fatty acids. Pumpkin seed oil is a good candidate oil staple crop, despite modest yields of oil, because the seeds are high in protein, with all essential amino acids, and the flesh provides carbs as well. With some development, pumpkin could produce all three macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) in a quantity and quality that would be competitive with other staple crops. Its main disadvantage as an oil crop is the low proportion of omega-3 fat. Sacha Inchi seed oil is high in essential fatty acids, especially omega-3, and high in protein, including all essential amino acids. The total fat produced is per year, not per crop, since one planting produces seeds continuously for at least several years. Oil yield per year is competitive with, or exceeds, all other oil staple crops, except palm oil. Crop requires year-round warm temperatures and consistently high rainfall; harvesting the crop is labor intensive. Chufa yields vary greatly; with commercial yields from 8 to 14 t/ha and research plot yields from 18 to 24 t/ha. Oil content ranges from 20 to just over 40%. Choosing a high-oil content cultivar and using hexane extraction can acheive 40% oil yield from the seed. With further development, chufa (tiger nut) could become a high-yielding oil staple crop. The oil is said to have good stability against oxidation, and a good shelf-life, without refinement (using only cold press). Salicornia bigelovii is a salt-water tolerant oilseed crop. The plant can be irrigated with sea water or brackish water. The oil is high-quality and suitable for human use; the seeds or presscake can be used for animal feed. | ||||||