The performance of oil palm cultivation in Muaro Jambi District

Abstract

The development of oil palm plantations aimed to eliminate poverty and underdevelopment, especially in rural areas through enhancement of the incomes of the smallholders. However, most of the number of plants have entered the rejuvenation period, which influenced the performance of the cultivation. The objective of this research was to identify the performance of the oil palm cultivations in Muaro Jambi District and analysed the oil palm smallholding incomes. Using survey method, the results showed that age of the smallholder plantation, land size and price, have affected the number of costs incurred and the revenues in old-aged plants. The annual income per smallholder farmer reached IDR 38,211,648 or IDR 18,964,782 per hectare per annum. The research indicated that it would be better to maximize the activities in the use of agricultural inputs and be aware of the most current related innovations and technologies in productivity improvement of oil palms.