The history of palm oil can be traced back to the days of the Egyptian paraoh 5000 years B.C.  The oil palm, however, is a native of  West Africa. It was introduced to Malaysia at the start of the 20th century and commercially produced in 1917. Today Malaysia's oil palm plantations cover 40% of its cultivated land, and it has become the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil. Indonesia has also embarked on a massive oil palm plantation program, and having a much bigger land base, it is expected to catch up soon with Malaysia.

In the Philippines,  oil palm plantations began in the late sixties.  But its expected rapid growth  was slowed down when the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law was passed, and  agrarian reform policies discouraged leasehold agreements between the CARP beneficiaries and the industry players.

Meanwhile the local demand for palm oil rose at spectacular pace with the advent of the rapidly expanding food  and industrial manufacturing industries in the hands of the medium-scale and the giant conglomerates.

Source:

http://www.da.gov.ph