Abstract

The oil palm was first commercially planted in Costa Rica in 1945. At present, the total area covered is about 27,000 hectares, on the Central and South Pacific coastal areas. The national crude palm oil (CPO) extraction capacity is 123 tons per hour, and the CPO production in 1995 was over 95,000 metric tons. Around 43% of this production was exported.

Reliable oil extraction rate (OER) and kernel extraction rate (KER) figures from Costa Rican extraction mills have been available since 1991. The OER has shown a slight but steady increase during the last five years. The current average OER of the country is about 23%, which is comparatively high. The KER has been relatively low (3.79-4.65%), showing clear fluctuations within years and between years.

Introduction

The oil extraction rate (OER) and the kernel extraction rate (KER) in oil palm mills result from a combination of many factors which significantly determine the efficiency of the industry. In the last few years, OER has attracted much attention due to the progressive decline observed in some regions of Malaysia, the largest oil palm producer in the world (Chan and Lee 1994). The OER and KER data available in Costa Rica and the main trends in several locations are briefly discussed in this report.

The oil palm industry in costa Rica - current situation

In Costa Rica, the first commercial oil palm plantations were planted as a private effort in Quepos, on the Central Pacific coast, in 1945. The activity expanded to the region of Coto, near the Panamanian border, in 1967. Today, the total area covered is about 27,254 hectares, mostly on small alluvial valleys near the coast.

The Quepos region has a 3-to 5-month dry spell, with an average annual water deficit of around 325 mm. The soils are mainly alluvial, shallow to deep, silt loamy, somewhat poorly drained to moderately well-drained, with very high calcium and magnesium content, on flat, low land.

The region of Coto has a mild, not well defined dry spell, with an occasional annual water deficit less than 100 mm. The soils in Coto are mostly alluvial, deep, loamy to clayey, poorly to moderately well-drained, with very high calcium content, on flat, low land. However, there is an important area with volcanic soils (Andosols), which are shallow, loamy, moderately well-drained, of low fertility and high phosphorus fixing capacity, on flat to gently-sloping land.

The current area in production (plantations above two years old) in Costa Rica is nearly 23,596 hectares. In 1995, the total production of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) recorded was 414,647 tons, out of which 95,400 tons of crude palm oil (CPO) were extracted. The CPO exports in the same year were around 43% of the production, mainly to neighboring countries and Europe.

The first CPO extraction mill started operating in Quepos in 1951. At present, there are four extraction mills, with a total processing capacity of 123 tons of FFB per hour (Table 1).

The first CPO was refined in Costa Rica in 1953. At present, the CPO refining capacity is near 100,000 tons per year. The main products of palm oil are shortening, margarine, olein, and fatty acids for animal feed and soap making.

Palm oil and kernel extraction records

Though the first palm oil extraction mill in Costa Rica started operating in 1951, and three more extraction mills were set up in 1966, 1969, and 1971, accurate and reliable data on OER and KER are available only from 1991 onward. The fourth extraction mill started operating only in 1994.

The OER has been highest at the newest Laurel extraction mill, with an average of 23.64%, followed by Palo Seco with 23.11%, Coto with 22.30% and Naranjo with 20.01%.The high OER at the Laurel mill in the Coto region is attributed to a higher mill efficiency, better extraction technology (equipment) and the use of fruits from advanced breeding generations. The low OER at the Naranjo mill in the Quepos region is probably caused by a large proportion of dura bunches (62-74 %) coming from areas which were planted with old fashioned DxT planting material before 1970 (Table 2).

The data show a weak tendency in OER to increase during the period in discussion. However, there is considerable variation between years ( Fig. 1 ). Likewise, OER tends to be lower from February through May in Quepos, and from August through November in Coto ( Fig. 2 ).

These data are being subjected to scrutiny in order to determine the causes in OER variation. For the moment, no clear associations have been found in Costa Rica between OER and climate.  In Malaysia, an effect of rainfall and sunshine on OER has been observed (Ho 1994; Chow 1994).

The national KER average ranges from 3.79 to 4.65%, which is rather low compared to KER reported in Malaysia (Donough et al. 1996).  The KER has shown a significant variation between years as well as within years ( Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 ).

In the Quepos region, the KER has shown an increasing trend, while in the Coto region KER has been the lowest and has not yet shown a clear general trend. Also, KER has shown a large variation within years and tends to be higher from July to October

The relatively low KER in the country is associated in part, with the nature of the planting material, which was selected for higher oil content, thus reducing the kernel ratio. Also, low KER and its variation through time could be influenced by changes in fruit set, which is in turn, affected by fluctuations of the pollinating weevil populations, and by palm age. In a study in Costa Rica (Chinchilla and Richardson 1991) it was found that fruit set was lower and more variable in younger plantings, and was closely associated with the population of pollinating weevils. At present, efforts are being made to explain and describe the current factors causing the fruit set fluctuation.

Conclusion

The OER in Costa Rica is comparatively high  with respect to world mean, and has shown an increasing trend during the last five years. This has probably been caused by improvements in the oil extraction technology and plantation management, as well as the use of new planting materials. However, it shows significant fluctuations within and between years.

The KER has been relatively low and different between the two oil palm producing regions: Quepos and Coto. The KER has also shown clear fluctuations within years and between years. Such fluctuations may be associated with changes in fruit set.

References

Chan, K.W. ; Lee, K.H. (1994). OER: A Concern Facing Oil Palm Industry. In : Darus Ariffin; Jalani B.S., Editors, Proceedings of the National Seminar on Palm Oil Extraction Rate: Problems and Issues. Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, pp. 1-16.

Chinchilla, C.M.; Richardson, D.L. (1991). Pollinating Insects and the Pollination of Oil Palm in Central America. ASD Technical Bulletin, 2, 18 pp.

Chow, C.S. (1994). The variability of Oil Extraction Rate in Malaysian Palm Oil Industry. In : Darus Ariffin and Jalani B.S., Editors, Proceedings of the National Seminar on Palm Oil Extraction Rate: Problems and Issues. Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, pp. 17-26.

Donough, C.R.; Chew, K.W. ; Law, I.H. (1996). Effect of Fruit Set on OER and KER: Results from Studies at Pamol States (Sabah) Sdn Bhd. The Planter, 72 (841): 203-219.

Ho, C.Y. (1994). Climatic Effects on Oil Extraction Ratios. In : Darus Ariffin; Jalani B.S., Editors, Proceedings of the National Seminar on Palm Oil Extraction Rate: Problems and Issues. Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, pp. 36-52.