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Doubling CPO Yields By Conserving Peatland Sarawak Style
Doubling CPO Yields By Conserving Peatland Sarawak Style
26/02/2016 (Jakarta Post) - Indonesia grabbed the world’s attention in all the wrong ways last year when numerous fires ravaged large areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan. More than half of the fires were in carbon-rich peatland areas, according to a World Resources Institute report.
The report pointed out that, based on satellite data and emissions models, the 2015 Indonesian forest fires produced daily emissions exceeding the US' since September, and more in three weeks than the total annual carbon-dioxide output of Germany.
Lulie Meiling, a researcher at the Tropical Peat Research Laboratory, was quite relieved that the El-Nino related disaster was largely avoided in Sarawak, one of Malaysia’s main palm oil-producing regions. About 1.6 million hectares or 80 percent of Sarawak is peatland, with one-fourth of it being palm oil plantations.
Over the last decade, Lulie has tirelessly promoted an effective peatland management method Sarawak called ‘land compaction’, which it says offers good protection against fires during hot spells.
"The palm tree soil should not be too dry or too wet. Compaction makes the soil more solid, not lose water quickly and creates firmer ground for the tree," Lulie told thejakartapost.com in Sarawak on Wednesday.
Her study found that it helped to increase palm-oil productivity and sustainability. Under the method, an oil palm plantation yields 38 tons per hectare per year, far above that of a conventional plantation that produces around 22 tons per hectare per year.
To apply the compaction method, soil depth is increased to at least 60 centimeters, as palm trees take root at around that depth.The increased retention of fertilizer in the soil also means lower fertilization costs.
Business efficiency
"We only need 10 kilograms [kg] of fertilizer per year," said Woodman Group Companies’ managing director Dato Sri Law Kiu Kiong told thejakartapost.com.
Woodman Group is one of the companies that implements Lulie’s land compaction method, which is applied in three stages.
First, land clearing. Second, land compaction in the first year. Third, land re-compaction over the next two years to solidify the soil.
The cost of compaction is around RM 400 or Rp 1.2 million (US$90) per hectare to reach a soil density of 1.5 times that of normal peatland, he explained. He deployed around 300 excavator for 40,000 hectares of land under Woodman’s management.
According to Lulie, the highly dense soil benefits the plantation as it retains water longer and helps maintain humidity, which makes the soil more resistant to fire.
“Not all peatland should be compacted three times, depending on the soil condition. In Sarawak, there are six type of peatland, each of which needs a different compaction frequency,” said Lulie.
As part of land compaction, Woodman then creates canals to drain water from the hardened less-absorptive peatland. From a business perspective, the canals can be used for transporting harvests, which is cheaper than fuel-consuming road transportation.
"If we use a truck, the fuel consumption will be around 40 liters. But with a boat down the canal, transporting the same tonnage, the fuel consumption is only 12 liters,” Dato Sri Law explained.
Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) visited Sarawak for survey and feasibility study on the land compaction in the last two days. Given Indonesia's position as the country with the fourth-highest amount of peatland and the world's biggest palm oil producer, land compaction is an option that is worth a try.
The report pointed out that, based on satellite data and emissions models, the 2015 Indonesian forest fires produced daily emissions exceeding the US' since September, and more in three weeks than the total annual carbon-dioxide output of Germany.
Lulie Meiling, a researcher at the Tropical Peat Research Laboratory, was quite relieved that the El-Nino related disaster was largely avoided in Sarawak, one of Malaysia’s main palm oil-producing regions. About 1.6 million hectares or 80 percent of Sarawak is peatland, with one-fourth of it being palm oil plantations.
Over the last decade, Lulie has tirelessly promoted an effective peatland management method Sarawak called ‘land compaction’, which it says offers good protection against fires during hot spells.
"The palm tree soil should not be too dry or too wet. Compaction makes the soil more solid, not lose water quickly and creates firmer ground for the tree," Lulie told thejakartapost.com in Sarawak on Wednesday.
Her study found that it helped to increase palm-oil productivity and sustainability. Under the method, an oil palm plantation yields 38 tons per hectare per year, far above that of a conventional plantation that produces around 22 tons per hectare per year.
To apply the compaction method, soil depth is increased to at least 60 centimeters, as palm trees take root at around that depth.The increased retention of fertilizer in the soil also means lower fertilization costs.
Business efficiency
"We only need 10 kilograms [kg] of fertilizer per year," said Woodman Group Companies’ managing director Dato Sri Law Kiu Kiong told thejakartapost.com.
Woodman Group is one of the companies that implements Lulie’s land compaction method, which is applied in three stages.
First, land clearing. Second, land compaction in the first year. Third, land re-compaction over the next two years to solidify the soil.
The cost of compaction is around RM 400 or Rp 1.2 million (US$90) per hectare to reach a soil density of 1.5 times that of normal peatland, he explained. He deployed around 300 excavator for 40,000 hectares of land under Woodman’s management.
According to Lulie, the highly dense soil benefits the plantation as it retains water longer and helps maintain humidity, which makes the soil more resistant to fire.
“Not all peatland should be compacted three times, depending on the soil condition. In Sarawak, there are six type of peatland, each of which needs a different compaction frequency,” said Lulie.
As part of land compaction, Woodman then creates canals to drain water from the hardened less-absorptive peatland. From a business perspective, the canals can be used for transporting harvests, which is cheaper than fuel-consuming road transportation.
"If we use a truck, the fuel consumption will be around 40 liters. But with a boat down the canal, transporting the same tonnage, the fuel consumption is only 12 liters,” Dato Sri Law explained.
Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) visited Sarawak for survey and feasibility study on the land compaction in the last two days. Given Indonesia's position as the country with the fourth-highest amount of peatland and the world's biggest palm oil producer, land compaction is an option that is worth a try.