MPOB Researchers Invent Efficient, Cost Effective Palm Loose Fruit Collecting Machine

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) researchers have invented an efficient and cost-effective palm loose fruit collecting machine, Bernama news reported on May 28.  MPOB director-general Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said the invention is a practical solution to the oil palm industry which relies on manual method in collecting loose fruits and in dire need of a cost-effective mechanized loose fruit collection system.  

“The technology provides greater efficiency in the collection of loose fruits which generally have the highest oil content than most of the attached fruits in the bunches.  The machine ensures no loose fruits are left in the field, thus resulting in higher income and profit of the plantations due to better oil extraction rate,”  he said in a statement. 
With the technology, loose fruits can now be sent to the mills with minimal contamination of debris as it ensures better quality and helps reduce milling problems associated with the current method of collection, Ahmad Parveez said.  Trials revealed that on average, the newly-invented machine was capable of collecting loose fruits around 4.2 to 5.1 kilogram per minute or 1200 to 1500 kilograms per day with less than 15 percent debris.