At the Palm Oil Plantation

After Lunch, we were due for another hour long ride to the center of the palm oil plantation, where some workers will be meeting us to demonstrate the correct actions to harvest a mature oil palm tree.

During the bus ride, we could see huge vast plains filled with palm oil trees, even the the view of the horizon was the same. The sights could cause anyone to be amazed by the large amount of greenery in front of them.

Ahh finally, after a hour's worth of snoring, yawning and tiredness, we had finally reached our destination.

When we got out of the bus, the smell of natural fertilizer was dense, and everyone was complaining about the stench, although it seems the workers have already gotten used to it.

The workers had shown us one fully matured fruit. They plucked out a few of these for so all of us could feel it.



Later, another few workers and use a sickle to slice the fruit in half, revealing its contents. Our tour guide had told us that there were two different kinds of oil in the fruit. One, the regular palm oil, which is found in the orange pulp of the fruit and two, kernel oil, which is found in the nut of the fruit.
Palm oil is edible and used as cooking oil. While kernel oil has a large amount of variables it can be used for.

The workers have also taught us how to differentiate the ripe fruit from the immature ones. The ripe ones look dark orange to dark red while the immature ones are brightly coloured yellow or orange.

They also told us the immature ones can also be harvested but they bring in a low amount of oil.

And lastly, they shown us how they would have harvested the bunch of fruits.

First a long blade mounted on a pole is stabbed into any outer layer leaves protecting the fruits, cutting of the leaf leaving the fruit bunch in the open.

Next, they would then shove the blade at the tree trunk that is supporting the fruit bunch, and the fruit bunch would fall freely to the ground, ready to be sent to the factory.

Right after that, we took the bus for a short ride to the factory where more workers will explain the processes to extract the oils in the fruit.