FREQUENCY OF HARVESTING

      Harvesting rounds should be made as frequent as possible to avoid over ripening of bunches. A bunch which is almost ripe but not ready for harvest for a particular harvesting round should not be over-ripe by next round. In lean period of production, harvesting can be made less frequent and it should be more frequent in peak periods. Harvesting rounds of 7 - 14 days are generally practiced. Other factors determining frequency are, extraction capacity of the mill, transportation facilities, labour availability and skill of the workers. In India, harvesting is usually carried out with a chisel of 6 - 9 cm wide attached to a wooden pole or light hollow aluminium pipe, Bunches are cut without damaging the petiole the leaf that supports it. Use of narrow chisel is usually carried out till the palm reaches two meters above the ground. For taller palms upto 4 meters, a wider chisel of 14 cm is used. The curved knife is attached to a long bamboo or aluminium pole with screws or steel wires to harvest from taller palms. In uneven stands, an adjustable, telescopic type of pole is in use.