Small-scale Cocoa Fermentation

Cocoa Intercropping

Rubber - Hevea Brasiliensis

Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is a tropical tree. It is native to the Amazon Basin in Brazil and adjoining countries. In the early stages (that is up to about 1910) most rubber was harvested from "wild trees" growing in the Amazon Basin and to a lesser extent from other natural sources of natural rubber (such as Ficus elastica) growing in the Congo Basin of Africa. From the Amazon to South Asia (Sri Lanka) and South East Asia (Singapore and Malaysia) it was grown experimentally and later on plantations, cultivation spread to Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, and subsequently to Liberia, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire. Initially cultivation took place on plantations, but smallholders rapidly adopted it as a source of income.

Maturity

Mature Hevea trees on rubber plantations are 20-30 metres high, with graceful upwards-extending branches and a relatively slim trunk. Such trees flower once a year, and after insect cross-pollination produce large fruits containing several thimble-sized seeds with hard outer coats. If satisfactorily germinated and planted within 2-3 weeks, seeds grow to produce seedling plants. Depending on conditions, the latter then take 5-10 years to reach 'maturity', which is defined as the stage when tapping can be started. In practice, this is the time when the trunk has about 500 mm circumference at 1 metre above ground level.

Some OP Pics

PREPARING THE SITE – Schedule of works is important to ensure the land preparation and seedlings availability coincide with suitable weather conditions

1) In the forest trees undergrowth are slashed before the bigger tress are felled using power chainsaws at 2-5 feet from the ground, depending on the girth of the tree base.

2) Mechanical stacking using excavators is preferred by plantations but for smallholders, looping/stacking of felled trees using power chainsaws are more practical, stacking the cut branches and trunks at fixed interrows interval keeping in mind the final planting point pegging for the palm trees itself.

3) Accessible road construction is needed in the next stage. Where necessary, hilly areas may need terraces and planning of roadworks should keep this in mind. Basic culverts and bridges should be constructed in strategic sites to ensure good drainage do not spoil the road constructed.

4) You must protect the soil against the sun, for the sun burns the soil and destroys the humus.

5) At the beginning of the rainy season, sow a cover crop; a mixture of Pueraria javanica, Centrosema pubescens, and Calopogonium muconoïdes. Sow 4 to 6 kilogrammes of seed per hectare.

Oil Palm - Elaeis Guineensis

OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis)

Oil Palm, or scientifically called Elaeis guineensis, is native of the west coast of Africa. Pure palm oil is a rich orange-yellow color; it has a sweet taste and an agreeable odor. It is liquid in the tropics, but hardens into "palm butter" under cooler temperatures. Palm oil is used in the manufacture of soap, liniments, and ointments, and used in West African and Brazilian cooking. Its chief chemical constituent is palmitic acid. Oil is also obtained from the kernel of the palm fruit. Known as palm-kernel oil, this is a lighter oil, resembling coconut oil.

The crop flourishes in the humid tropics in groves of varying density, mainly in the coastal belt between 10 degrees north latitude and 10 degrees south latitude. It is also found up to 20 degrees south latitude in Central and East Africa and Madagascar in isolated localities with a suitable rainfall. The oil palm grows up to 9 m (30 ft) in height. It has a crown of feathery leaves that are up to 5 m (15 ft) long. The flower cluster is on a short thick spike at the base of the leaves. Flowering is followed by the development of a cluster of egg-shaped, red, orange, or yellowish fruits. Each fruit is approximately 3 cm (1 in) long and contains from one to three seeds embedded in a reddish pulp. The palm fruit develops in dense bunches weighing 10 kilograms (kg) or more and containing more than a thousand individual fruits similar in size to a small plum. Palm oil is obtained from the flesh of the fruit.

After harvesting from the trees, the fresh fruit bunch (FFB) must be transported to the mill for processing within 24-hours and palm oil is extracted from the fruit pulp. This yellowish or reddish oil is used mostly in the manufacture of soap and candles. Palm oil is also the largest source of palmitic acid, a fatty acid used in numerous commercial processes. The more valuable palm kernel oil is obtained from the seed kernels of the fruit. This white oil has a pleasant odor and nutty flavor and is used in making margarine as well as soap and candles. The kernels are shipped to mills where the oil is extracted with solvents or by hydraulic presses. After extraction, the oil cake that is left over is used as cattle feed. Latest technology also involves the possibility of using palm oil products for bio-diesel purposes.

Some Oil Palm Pictures