AAR Hybrida in Mongkos

The oil palm is a very precocious crop, which comes into maturity at 25 months or earlier from field planting, with peak yield realized at four or more years thereafter.

As early bearing and high yields in the field are mainly dependent on production of uniformly good and healthy seedlings from a nursery, it follows that good nursery management would be required to achieve the latter.

The production of superior oil palm planting materials is fully dependent on attention to details at all stages in the nursery management and this entails following closely, proven standards and procedures.

Oil palm has an economic productive life span of 20 years or more and any shortcomings in the planting material will have long term consequences on yield. As such, the grower must select and plant only the best in his field in order to maximize his yields.

Mr Tan highlighted that the dwarf-like AA Hybrida 1S has more, albeit smaller, fruit bunches. It also has higher oil yields. 

AAR sells these designer seeds at RM2.70 each, a premium to the price of the average Dolly Parton variant. 

At prime fruit-bearing age, AAR's semi-clonal seedlings, grown under good management and environment, are capable of producing more than 30 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches with over 23 per cent oil extraction rate. That works out to be about seven tonnes of oil per hectare in a year, almost two times higher than the country's average yield.

Borneo Samudera seedling about 6 years after field planting.

Borneo Samudera seedling planted in 2008, which is about 6 years after field planting.

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Cendawan Sawit

One day I was having dinner with a friend. Then he asked me to study  more on Cendawan Kelapa Sawit (Oil Palm Mushroom in Malay language).

Mushrooms are a favourite "sayur" or wild vegetables of the Ibans and other indigenous people of Sarawak. I  sure there is potential to commercialize this mew venture.

Oil Palm at 22 months after field planting

Oil palms are normally planted after land clearing and land preparation work, which includes lining, holing and terracing if the terrain is hilly. In low-lying areas, drainage would also be necessary. In most oil palm plantings, leguminous cover crops are also planted in the interrows as they are able to establish and spread much faster than other vegetation. The legumes should preferably be planted prior to planting the palms but in many instances, due to timing and other constraints, the oil palms are planted first.

The immaturity period of the palms, which would normally last approximately 30 – 36 months where ablation is done, begins from the moment of palm planting. In areas where no ablation is done, this is reduced to 24 months. 

Most planters would deem the immaturity period as the period where extensive field maintenance is required e.g. circle spraying, spot spraying, decreeping, manuring, pest control etc. to ensure not only high early yields be obtained, but also mature yields. 

Hard work to manage oil palm plantation

Hard work to manage almost 1450 point of oil palm trees. I wish if this land has title so that I can sell  portion of it. The value of the land is more than RM100,000 per acre based on the projection income and production.

Currently I am building small road access for easy harvesting and maintainance. My year two AAR seedlings are now fruiting and are ready for harvest soon.

Oil Palm blues

Right now I was in my oil palm garden checking and observing my worker doing the road repair. It is really a hard work and I am walking around the plantation make me sweating. I think it is a good form of exercise rather than playing golf. Twenty years down the road will have to do re-planting and I am gonna do it right with proper terresing for easy maintainance and harvesting. With the current price now, the future is bright.

I better put cattle,sheep or buffalo here to graze on the weed