1. plantations
oil palm

2. what is plantation agriculture?
It is a type of farming where a particular crop is grown and sold (cash crop)
It is found in areas within the tropics that experience high temperatures, high humidity and heavy rainfall all year round
- eg.: Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka
The size of the plantation is usually more than 40 hectares
There are a variety of cash crops including rubber, oil palm, banana and pineapple

3. inputs Oil palm Physical inputs:
- suitable climatic conditions for crops
- large land area
Human inputs:
- cheap plantation workers
- high capital
- fertilisers and pesticides
- modern, efficient machinery
- processing facilities
- efficient transport infrastructure

4. process cultivation Pre-nursery: 1) selection of good palm oil seeds
2) which are soaked in water for a week
3) put in plastic bags and kept in special germinators for about two months

5. cultivation
Nursery:
1) young palms are transplanted to the nursery for a year
2) during this time, the fields are prepared for the transplantation of the palms

6. processing
Fields:
1) healthy young palms are transplanted to the fields during the early part of the rainy season
2) after three years, the mature oil palms are ready to be harvested and processed

7. processing Separation and mashing of fruits:
1) harvested fruits are subjected to sterilisation by steam at about 1400°C for about 90 minutes
2) after this, fruits are sent to the rotary drum stripper to remove their stalks
3) after the mesocarp is separated from the kernel, it is turned into a digested mash by the digester

8. processing Oil extraction:
1) a hydraulic press extracts the oil from the mash
2) the oil is sent to a refinery to be refined

9. outputs Semi-processed products that bring in profits
Cover crops that also bring in profits

10. advantages Oil palm is a cash crop
It brings in a lot of money for countries with a lot of land area such as Malaysia
Malaysia made a profit of RM 28.6 billion in one year alone(2005)
No need to move to another plot of land regularly after a few years
Cover crops that are sold also bring in money for the farmers

11. disadvantages High cost of capital
Artificial fertilizers have to be constantly applied throughout
Requires sophisticated tools and a high level of research and technology
Relies heavily on machines to get work done

12. uses Oil palm is used for the following purposes:
- Ingredient in food products
- Engine lubricants
- Base for cosmetics
- Printing inks
- Candles
etc. etc.
Palm oil is becoming an increasingly important agricultural product in Asia.

13. Commercialization of palm biodiesel is a new development in the palm oil industry.
Palm biodiesel is an alternative fuel for petroleum diesel.
Palm oil is made into biodiesel to make fuels for cars, power plants and factories.
future trends

14. credits http://www.etawau.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_palm
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