Ripening, Harvesting, and Transport of Oil Palm Bunches

Publisher Summary The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) produces a continuous supply of fruit bunches in the axils of its fronds throughout its economic life commencing the second or third year after planting. In favorable environments, bunches ripen throughout the year, although there are peaks and troughs in production. Bunches are harvested manually using a variety of methods and tools. Harvesting involves a compromise between the need to maximize oil yield and oil quality while minimizing cost of labor. Harvesting and transport of bunches represents about 15% of the cost of fruit bunch production. Various methods are used to collect and transport bunches after harvest, depending largely on the scale of the operation and on the terrain. This chapter discusses the changes occurring in bunches as they mature, the criteria used to determine when fruit bunches should be harvested, the tools and methods used in harvesting, and the subsequent collection and transport of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) to the palm oil mill. The main harvest from the oil palm consists of fresh fruit bunches from which a wide variety of products are obtained, the chief of which is Crude Palm Oil (CPO) extracted from the mesocarp or flesh of the fruit and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) extracted from the palm kernel or seed within the fruit.