Even experienced farmers make mistakes, but if you avoid these common pitfalls, your oil palm farm will thrive.
PLANTING TOO CLOSE TOGETHER: Oil palms need space to grow.
Planting them too close means competition for sunlight, water, and nutrients.
Ensure proper spacing for healthy trees and higher yields.
The ideal standard measurement spacing is 9 by 9 meters, from an individual seedling to another.
IGNORING WELL NURTURED AND HIGH YIELDING SEEDLINGS: This is where most of the problems of many farmers comes from.
The fact is that there are quality seedlings and they are not the same price with the cheap substandard seedlings.
Choosing poor quality and substandard seedlings because of how cheaper they are sold would lead to stunted growth, low yields and so many uncertainties on your farm.
The advice I give to farmers is this; If you don’t have money to buy quality seedlings because of how costly they are, you can always start small and expand later.
Let’s say that your plan is to plant 2,000 seedlings, but you don’t have all the money to buy it, you can decide to plant 500 seedlings yearly, provided they are high yielding, quality seedlings.
By doing so, you stand a better chance to have a thriving farm bearing bountiful fruit bunches.
It is better to buy 500 quality seedlings that would produce massively than to buy 2,000 substandard seedlings that would only keep on growing taller with little or no fruit on them.
LACK OF PROPER FERTILIZATION: Skimping on fertilizers will result in lower yields.
Feed your trees regularly to boost fruit production.
In this case you can choose to use organic fertilizers on them or use inorganic.
Use anyone that is at your disposal, but make sure you fertilize your farm at least 2 to 3 times a year.
OVER-HARVESTING: Don’t rush to harvest your fruits before they’re fully ripe.
Harvesting too early results in lower oil content and wasted potential.
Allow your fruit bunches to fully ripe before harvesting.
It would help boost the oil extraction ratio per fruit bunch.
POOR DISEASE MANAGEMENT: Regularly check your trees for signs of disease.
Catching problems early can save your farm from major losses.
Avoiding these mistakes ensures your farm stays profitable for years to come.
Our article will help you to become a dogged and well informed farmer before even venturing into oil palm farming.
One thing I must tell you today is that knowledge is all you need to succeed in any business venture.
When you are well informed, you take the right position, make the right moves and make the best out of your investment.
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