mb.com.ph, August 6, 2010, 2:54pm

The Technoguide on Oil Palm Production and Disease Management was launched last Thursday during the opening of the 6th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum staged by the Bureau of Agricultural Research at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The forum will end to Sunday.

The book is edited by Dr. Naomi G. Tangonan of the University of Southern Mindanao and published through a grant from BAR.

The publication of the book is very timely since there is a big profit potential in oil palm production. One of those who saw the potential of this crop a few years ago is Dr. Pablito P. Pamplona of USM who invested all his retirement pay in 18.5 hectares that he planted to this plantation crop.

His first 7 hectares were planted seven years ago. What’s good about this crop is that it has a short gestation period. As per the experience of Dr. Pamplona, his first harvest was made 28 months from planting. The young trees yielded about 10 tons per hectare which more or less covered the cost of establishing the plantation. The current ex-farm price of the fruits is P5.40 per kilo.

The biggest expense, he said, is the cost of planting materials. One-year-old seedlings cost about P200 each today. He said that 130 to 140 plants is needed per hectare.

During the first year of harvest, the bunches are small – usually 5 to 6 kilos each. But when the trees are already 7 years old, the bunches weigh from 18 to 35 kilos each. Thad is why the yield per hectare could be 30 to 35 tons per hectare. That means a gross income of more than P150,000 per hectare.

That’s not bad since there is not much expense maintaining the fruiting trees.

Oil palm thrives best in areas with rich soil and with wet period that is longer than dry period. If the area has dry periods of three to four months a year, the plantation should be irrigated, according to Dr. Pamplona.

Dr. Pamplona says he does not have any problem marketing his harvest. There are oil mills in Bukidnon, Agusan, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao that buy the harvest.

Once it started to produce, the plantation is expected to remain productive for the next 25 years.(By ZAC B. SARIAN)

Source: Oil palm is one sunshine crop