Creative tool in oil palm plantation

Recently, I found a creative tool in one of the estates in Kemayan, Pahang. I can recall when I was in Sg. Jernih Estate, Kerling, Selangor. My workers used to ask me to buy this tool when they did FFB (Fresh fruit bunch) collection in the field.

During my time as senior assistant in 2003, all the loose fruits in the platform needed to collect with the FFB. I told all the harvesters that if the loose fruit no being collected then their wages will drop due to the weight of loose fruit. I always brain wash my harvesters that I was no selling FFB but I was selling oil content from FFB. I need fresh loose fruit and high quality FFB to enable me to gain higher OER.

This is the tool I saw in this estate and it was created from 20 little chemical drum.

This is creative and cheap “invention” without incur additional cost to the estate. I remember that I was using bamboo bucket and normally the bamboo bucket is easily damage due to the rough movement during upload FFB and loose fruit collection. Nearly every month, I need to buy 2 bamboo buckets from Tanjung Malim hardware shop.

There are two types of buckets in the market- plastic and bamboo. I had tested both materials and finally my workers referred to bamboo bucket because it more rough than plastic bucket.

Look at the scoop where it is the handle for the chemical drum. I never think about this when I was in plantation.

The scoop looks simple but it really creative in loose fruit collection. My worker, Jono & Dono also had created a scoop from un-use aluminum harvesting pole. The aluminum portion will be reacting as scoop and the handle is made from wood. The aluminum part is no flat like the above invention but the pattern like a comb where the dash will not be collected during upload the loose fruit from platform.