Palm Could Be

[?]r than Copra?

[?]Able For Fiji

ieving that the oil palm of Africa has some advantages the coconut palm —it is easily fated, it gives a crop in a little than half the time, it is an crop for “small” cultivators the oil commands a ready et—Messrs. W. R. Carpenter :o. Ltd. have spent a consider sum in recent years in an ipt to introduce the tree to the i Pacific Islands, especially ind New Guinea. i directors of the company are articularly interested in ex eriments which they are ig in Fiji. They believe that, >w of the peculiar community ;ion in Fiji, the oil palm provide a new industry there i would be valuable both to mall planters, and as a means creasing Fiji’s exports, ween 16,000 and 17,000 seed have been distributed in Fiji, series of tests. The Depart of Agriculture is interested o-operative. i directors believe that the a farmers of Fiji could make d living by cultivating the oil on blocks of from five to acres. They calculate that a ssful grower should get two of nuts to the acre. The begin bearing four years after ng. eriments to date have indica lat the Fiji climate generally, be soils of Fiji in many places, litable. : directors, however, admit as with most other agricultural in Fiji, everything hinges on railability of land. The market re, there is a growing number >ple (Indians, especially) eager oduce the product, the con s in Fiji appear suitable —but jresent Governmental policies enough land available, in and suitable blocks, to permit stablishment of the industry worth-while scale?

Crux: Land Availability Carpenter directors also are ring data concerning the tilities of extended cocoa ein Fiji. But, as with the aim, land availability is the factor —and difficulty, is true that the population of s increasing very fast,” said penter spokesman. “But that not necessarily mean political social trouble. i has abundant natural re js, sufficient to keep, busy and ed, far more people of all than are now in sight. But

they must be provided with a means of livelihood.

“A busy man is usually a con tented man, and rarely a social danger.

“There is room for plenty more industries in Fiji, if land is made available for use. That is the crux of the situation in Fiji—land availability.”

The fruit of the oil palm pro duces two kinds of oil—palm oil, which is extracted from the outer fleshy part (the pericarp) in the country of production, and palm kernel oil which is extracted from the kernels, generally in the import ing countries.

Palm oil, which has become one of the world’s principal vegetable oils, is widely used in the manu facture of soap products and in the tin-plate industry. It is also used, but to a lesser extent, in the manu facture of margarine and other edible fats.

The oil obtained from the kernels has properties which are quite distinct from those of the oil obtained from the outer pulp; it is similar in most respects to coco nut oil, and is used for the same purposes, mainly for margarine and soap making.

The oil content of the kernels ranges from about 45 to 55 per cent., and that of the pericarp is even more variable.

Where Oil Palm is Grown The oil palm is indigenous to tropical Africa, where wild oil palms cover a large, but unknown, acre age.

Except in the Belgian Congo, where extensive plantations are operated by European companies,

African production is still largely in the hands of native small holders.

Attention has been given to the improvement of methods of pro duction in the African colonies, both by the introduction of higher yield ing palms and by better cultural and processing methods.

The greatest progress has been made on estates in the Belgian Congo. Since the war pioneer oil mills have been installed at various centres in Nigeria, and the Nigeria Oil Palm Marketing Board, established 1949, has encouraged the production of higher-grade oil and provided funds for research and development. Progress has been made in Sierra Leone, and it was reported in the early ’Fifties that oil palm factories are coming into operating on the coast of French West Africa.

After the 1914-18 war the pro duction of oil palm products spread to south-east Asia, and large estates planted with high oil-yielding varieties were established both In Indonesia and Malaya. Although highly successful, the output of oil and kernels from these areas is still appreciably less than that of the African colonies. A fairly large proportion of African production, however, is consumed locally, while in Asiatic countries most of the oil is produced for export.

In the early ’Fifties, the amount of this palm oil produced per annum was approximately: Tons British W. Africa .. .. 370,000 Belgian Congo 169,000 Indonesia 113,000 Malaya 59,000 French W. Africa 48,000