Harvesting Of Palm fruit(Elaeis guineensis)

Palm fruit is a fruit that is obtained from Palm tree. It is a source of popular palm oil and palm Kernel oil. Firstly, palm oil is gotten when the flesh of the seeds or fruitlet, or mesocarp, is boiled and pressed. While on the other hand, palm kernel oil is obtained when the fruitlet’s seeds are crushed. Palm trees flourish in tropical climates, which is why countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia, and Nigeria are prime locations for their cultivation. Current fact is that about 85% of the world’s palm oil is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, making them the largest producers of this essential commodity.

The History of Palm Oil

Oil palm originated in West Africa. Archeologists have discovered in Egyptian tombs, evidence of oil palm used dated back 5,000 years. Palm oil was highly esteemed so much that people were laid to rest with casks or bottles of this precious substance.

How Is Oil Palm Harvested?

When the fresh fruit bunches on the oil palm turn bright orange, it indicates that they are ripe and ready to be harvested. Sometimes, it can be tricky for farmers to check the ripe fruit visually, so they decided to counting the number of detached fruitlets or seeds that have fell onto the ground naturally e.g if 8-12 fruit fell, it is an indication that the bunch is mature for harvesting.
[checking for ripe Palm fruit](Nokia C30)
I have never harvested palm fruit using a ladder before but a climbing rope(though it's been a while). This time around, depending on the area I am residing where there is no climbing rope, I decided to use a ladder.
[I used a ladder for climbing](Nokia C30)
During the harvesting process, I used a well sharpened machete for harvesting. To cut the fresh fruit bunch down from the main body of the oil palm tree needs a skill in the use of the matchet.
I carved a little angular space in the branch closed to the ripe bunch so that the sharpen edge of the matchet will go in and cut the neck of the bunch. Then pushed the matchet in and swipe to the right or left depending on direction of the neck of the bunch.
[I used a well sharpen matchete to cut the Fresh Fruit bunch from the main body of the oil palm](Nokia C30)

If older leaves or fronds block the fresh fruit bunches, they should be carefully pruned to ease harvesting.
After the fruit bunches fell to the ground, I
[cutting the fresh fruit bunch down](Nokia C30)
carefully carried them away collecting any loose fruitlets or seeds that may have dislodged in the process.
[Two fresh bunches I harvested in one palm tree](Nokia C30)

[on top of an oil palm tree](Nokia C30)
Next time, I will like to share with you what happens in the mill during the processing of the seeds or fruitlets into palm oil.