Intermediate Harvests

The above picture shows this month's major mainteneance works to the oil palm trees here. The first fruits are removed together with the leaf bases to encourage better and bigger fruits in future fruiting. However, following the concept of an eco-farm with biodiversity values, other harvests are possible, which I call intermediate harvest as described below.

While maintenace works at our eco-farm continues as scheduled, we are happy with the prospect of intermediate harvests. At the lower left hand corner of the picture above the leafy vegetable called 'cekur manis'( Sauropus androgynus(L.) Merr.) eaten for its young leaves, have been harvested many times already.This hardy shrub plant will stay as long as the oil palm leaves do not over top them. On the upper right hand corner is seen an 'iron wood tree' ( Mesua ferrea) that has been gradually trenched for many months already and ready to be moved out because it is already big and in competition with the oil palm tree's growth. However the iron wood tree can be rebagged and nursed further to be sold as an instant tree ( estimated price RM100/no). Earlier in the month, all the oil palm trees at our farm have their first line of leaf bases and first fruits removed to encourage better and bigger sizes for the next or later batches of fruits. Hopefully we can start selling the fresh fruit bunches by year's end.