Palm Oil

[Mosha]

There was a topic that gave yields, and profits etc. per rai of rubber. Does anyone have a link or info with similar information for Palm oil. Also I am told the trees are different in that they have male and female trees. Does anyone know the ratio? My wifes 1/2 cousin bought some for his land, but he has ended up with mosrtly male trees.

[gregb]

Oil Palms (Elaeis Guineensis) don't have male and female trees. Both sexes are produced on every tree. If he got mostly male trees he was either buying something other than Oil Palm or you misunderstood.

My recommendation if you are serious is either to buy seedlings or germinated seeds from Univanich. Just Google them. Germinated seeds are very cheap (around 20 baht ea.). Seedlings a bit more expensive (around 100 baht, depending on age and size). They'll ship via Thai Airways if possible.

In Thailand, you can assume about 500 liters of oil per rai if you are processing yourself, or about 2 tons of fresh fruit bunches if you are just selling the fruit. These are rounded figures and assume you have adequate rain and no serious problems. They require well drained soils, and prefer about 2 meters of rain per year distributed throughout the entire year. You can expect your first real harvest at about age 6, and the trees will continue produce at about the same rate until age 25.

I highly suggest you obtain this book if you are serious about getting into Palm Oil:

The Oil Palm

R.H.V. Corely and P.B. Tinker

ISBN: 9780632052127

You'll have to order it from overseas and expect to pay about $300 USD, but the information contained is exceptional.

As plam oil is a good substitute for diesel fuel, the price trend for the future is expected to be solidly increasing. Palm trees are competitive with rubber trees in terms of profitability, and you don't need to pay 50% for harvesting.