The world demand for castor oil is estimated to grow at the rate of 5 to 7% per annum. Since the domestic market is virtually non-existent, and the price is higher that any other vegetable oil, the general recommendation for a country like Ethiopia is to export whatever is produced.
Where does castor plant grow in Ethiopia?
Ethiopia is a land of diversified plants origins and castor plant is amongst the native plants to the Ethiopian region of tropical East Africa and it grows naturally and abundantly in the highlands (Alemaw et al. 2014) and some lowland rural areas of southern parts of Ethiopia.
How many liters of castor oil is produced per hectare?
The productivity of the farm is assumed to be 10 qts. per hectare in each production season. The whole produce will be processed for castor oil extraction. The processing plant will be with 270 thousand liters of castor oil producing capacity per annum. 2. Production Programme
How is castor oil extracted?
The cooked seeds are then dried before the extraction process begins. A screw oil press machine is used to crush the castor oil-seeds to facilitate removal of the oil. The first phase of this extraction is called pre-pressing.