Plantation Palm Farming

Jointly we need to meet India's Demand for Edible Oil

India imports a significant quantity of palm oil to meet the growing demand for edible oil. The Government of India promotes oil palm cultivation in certain regions of the country, so as to help them become self-sufficient in edible oil production. The Government‟s unique private-public partnership model also encourages farmers to take up oil palm cultivation.

We are emerging as the biggest oil palm developers in India and work directly with the farmers for the entire lifecycle of their crop. We produce a range of products, including Crude Palm Oil, Crude Palm Kernel Oil and Palm Kernel Cake. We have will be having oil palm mills across the country.

Now this is the time when farmers and producers and refiners to come together to make India self-sufficient and self-sustainable by leveraging our available inbound capabilities and potential against imports and huge currency drain. The same currency will boost the economy and at the same time nurture our farm and agriculture business in totality.

In ensuring that our plantations and mills operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, we are guided by our No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation Policy that, applies to our own operations as well as all third-party suppliers.

We have a strong team of managers and staff who are devoted to the common objective of achieving the highest standards for our plantations. We adopt best management practices including good field and harvesting standards and timely application of fertilisers to optimise crop yields.

Apart from plantations, we also own palm oil mills to process fruits from our own and surrounding plantations. The key products of oil palm cultivation and milling are crude palm oil and palm kernel which are mostly supplied to our Refinery & Manufacturing business.

• Cultivation

Germinated seeds are planted and the seedlings spend about a year in the nursery before being transferred to the fields.

• Harvesting & Oil Palm Yield

Oil palms generally begin to produce fruits 30 months after being planted in the fields with commercial harvest commencing six months later. However, the yield of an oil palm is relatively low at this stage.

As the oil palm continues to mature, its yield increases and reaches peak production in years seven to 18 before gradually decreasing thereafter. The typical commercial lifespan of an oil palm is approximately 25 years.

Fully mature oil palms produce 18 to 30 metric tonnes of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per hectare. The yield depends on a variety of factors, including age, seed quality, soil and climatic conditions, quality of plantation management and the timely harvesting and processing of FFB.

The ripeness of FFB harvested is critical in maximising the quality and quantity of palm oil extracted. Harvested fruits must be processed within 24 hours to minimise the build-up of fatty acids.

• Milling of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB)

Milling of FFB takes place within 24 hours from the harvesting of FFB. FFB are first transferred to the palm oil mills for sterilisation by applying high-pressure steam, whereupon the palm fruits are enzymedeactivated and separated from the palm bunches.

After steaming, the palm fruitlets are crushed in a pressing machine to obtain crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel. Waste and water is then cleared and separated from the CPO by means of a centrifuge. The cleared CPO emerging from the centrifuge is then sent for refining while the palm kernel nut is sent for crushing. The empty fruit bunches and liquid wastes arising from the process are recycled as fertiliser in the plantations.

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