Sustainable oil palm planting on peat soils in Sarawak

Authors:
Galau Melayong and Sylvester Fong

Book:
Proceedings of the 15th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Kuching

Keywords:
development, management-practices, oil-palm, peat, sustainable

Documentfile:
ipc16p511-514a408melayong.fong_.pdf

Summary:

SUMMARY

To produce high oil palm yields growers have to observe the practices that can ensure the crop is sustainable, namely careful water management, the optimum fertiliser programme and good weed control and logistics.

INTRODUCTION

Peatland is extensive in Sarawak‘s coastal lowlands, covering approximately 1.6 million hectares (MHA) or 13% of the state‘s total land area. The single largest usage of peatland in Sarawak is for agriculture (plantations) with a much less significant area converted for housing/township development (particularly in and around Kuching and Sibu) or left under forest. In Sarawak extensive peatland conversion, especially for oil palm plantations, has…