Technical and economic assessment of two harvesting tools for young Elaeis oleifera x E. guineensis oil palms

Abstract

The harvest of oil palm fruit bunches represents 25% of the total cost of production of one metric ton of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), and nine-tenths of the costs of this process (i.e., harvest) are labor costs. This study was undertaken to analyze and compare the labor productivity and harvesting costs of young oil palm trees of the species Elaeis oleifera x E. guineensis (OxG) using two different cutting tools. The first tool was a chisel, and the second was a mechanized oil palm cutter. From a methodological perspective, we conducted a time and motion study. The results show that the average number of palms harvested by a worker using a chisel was 320 per workday (on average 291 fresh fruit bunches were cut per workday). A worker using a mechanized oil palm cutter (MOPC) harvested 546 palms per workday (on average 551 fresh fruit bunches were cut per workday). Finally, the cost per ton of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) harvested decreased by 15% following the MOPC; in other words, the implementation of this novel technology is cost-effective.

Documentación de la labor de cosecha en la implementación exitosa del punto óptimo de cosecha en un cultivar híbrido de palma de aceite en la Zona Central

“…Por ser una planta de carácter perenne, la palma de aceite continuamente produce hojas y racimos, por lo que es preciso ingresar con intervalos de tiempo definidos para realizar la labor de corte de los mismos (Ruiz-Álvarez et al, 2020). En Palmas y Extractora Monterrey S. A., el ciclo de cosecha se mantuvo en 12 días, lo que implicó que aproximadamente en un año se ingresara al mismo lote 30 veces a cortar los racimos.…”

Adoption of mechanization alternatives in oil palm crops in the Colombian Orinoquía natural region

“…This trend is also found in other latitudes. In Malaysia, a wide range of alternatives for motorized FFB cutting are available to oil palm growers (Cantas TM and Ckat TM Cutters), with advantages in efficiency (Jelani et al, 2018;Ruiz et al, 2020), but studies report low percentages of adoption (2.36%) (Norhajijah et al, 2021).…”

Labor productivity assessment of three different mechanized harvest systems in Colombian oil palm crops

“…Oil palm harvest is a very difficult task, requiring specialized labor (Yusuff et al, 2007;Azman et al, 2015;Ruíz Álvarez et al, 2020). The harvest in oil palm crops comprises a set of sub-processes whose objective is to cut fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and deposits them in containers or trucks, which will transport them to the palm oil mill.…”

“…Notably, most mechanized technologies adopted in Colombia have been developed in Malaysia, where the shortage of workers also afflicts oil palm cultivation. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board has developed technologies such as mechanized knifes for FFB cutting and mini-tractors, hydraulic arms (grabber), and mechanized loose fruit pickers for FFB lifting (Hitam et al, 1994;Shuib et al, 2004;Jelani et al, 2008;Aramide et al, 2015;Jelani, 2018;Ruíz Álvarez et al, 2020). Although mechanization leverages the agricultural labor, its implementation depends on the characteristics of the soil, the availability of financial resources, the area to be served, the crop yield, among other factors (Ortiz-Martínez et al, 2016;Mosquera-Montoya, 2022).…”