oil palm in malaysia

Malaysia is a famous palm oil producing country. There are many oil palm estates in Malaysia because of its suitable climate. Many years ago the seeds of the oil palm tree were brought to Malaysia from Africa.

The seeds of the oil palm are planted in plastic bags and put in a special place called the nursery. After a year, the seedlings are planted in the field or plantation. They start producing fruits when they are about three years old.

The oil palm tree is about 9 meters tall. It has a thick trunk and fronds like the coconut trees. The fronds that grow on the lower part of the trees are cut twice a year so that the workers can harvest the fruits easily.

Palm oil is produced from the oil palm fruits. The fruits grow in bunches. Each bunch has about 400 small fruits and weighs between 10 to 20 kilograms.

A long handled knife is used to cut down the fruits. For the taller trees, a longer pole is attached to the knife. The fruits are transported by lorries to the oil palm mill, where they are processed into oil. Palm oil is used to produce candles, cooking oil, margarine and soap.