Oil palm in Malaysia:Chronology of events
Any plant species can qualify to become a plantation crop if it fulfills the following requirements: (1) that it is a perennial species, and (2) that its existence as a perennial species is fully justified in terms of its economic advantages. Among all these plantation crops, oil palm fully justifies the occupation of land for at least 20 years, beating all other plantation crops in terms of yield and economic returns. It is therefore no wonder that oil palm has been the most rapidly expanding plantation crop in the tropics, particularly in Malaysia.