54 TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCT NEWS
The Harvester’s Best Friend
Automating and mechanizing the single most important activity in the plantations - Harvesting. Image Courtesy of IRGA
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n today’s day and age, it’s not rocket science to manage a profitable plantation company, however it’s no mean feat either to manage one in a highly labor-intensive industry. In the oil palm industry in particular, all its operations, from planting to field maintenance and harvesting to processing, are highly dependent on manual labor. Although this creates job opportunities, it does not appeal to local country workers because of the 3D perception - dangerous, demeaning and difficult. The world’s second biggest oil palm producer, Malaysia in particular, is heavily reliant on foreign workers. One activity that has not changed much over time is oil palm harvesting. It remains the single most important and time consuming activity in oil palm estates in correlation with infield collection and transportation. With progress, came talks of automation and mechanization of harvesting, to be at ASIA PALM OIL MAGAZINE | Oct-Dec 2021
par with the sweeping new and efficient practices in plantation companies. It is safe to say the traditional sickle and pole is still the mainstay in most plantation companies globally. An experienced harvester with the sickle and pole is able to cover an average of 2.5 to 3.0 hectares per day with assisted loose fruit collection, provided that the interval between harvesting rounds is at 10-12 days. In recent times, new inventions have been introduced – the first generation mechanized and electrical cutters however, came with limitations, length or height as it may be, some ungainly weight and / or features, even environmental issues such as noise and sound pollutions and a generally consensus of not being user friendly. Most have not lasted the test of time and soon retired to the store due to lack of spare parts and improper maintenance.
