The unseen flood: Waterlogging in large oil palm plantations

Abstract

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has emphasised the importance of the agricultural sector to the Malaysian economy. We shall thus not take our present success in palm oil export for granted but continue to strive for excellence. Bridging the gap between the actual yield and the potential yield of oil palm production is an important step towards palm oil productivity and in a larger sense, environment sustainability. Waterlogging in large plantations, an unseen flood to the general public, is a technical issue within the expertise of a civil engineer, who can, through extensive study of problems of the same nature, provide a creative solution which is financially viable. While we persistently claim that ‘Malaysia Boleh’, let us be a true leader in this arena and not just a follower.