replacement of wheat flour consumption with local flours and obesity prevention, the
promotion of sago starch utilization is expected recently. Sago palm will potentially
be an extremely high carbohydrate supply for various industries. This chapter provides a brief review on and future prospects of sago palm growth and production in
different soil conditions mostly in accordance with the publications from the Society
of Sago Palm Studies.
17.2 Sago Palm Distribution in each Peatland
Sago palm grows in peat soils and other soil types. Considering the nutrient
requirements, fluvial deposit-based soil is the optimum soil type for sago palms
(Okazaki and Kimura 2015). Sato et al. (1979) reported that the thicker the peat
deposit in the soil, the slower the sago palm grows, and that it grows better in soil
with a thinner peat layer and an underlying argillaceous deposit.
Sago palm is planted in peatland primarily when new planting is planned institutionally and due to the fact that other crops grow so poorly in peatland. Tie et al.
(1991) reported the distribution of sago palms in different soils in Sarawak, Malaysia
which consist of 62% peat soil, 33% gray soil, and 3% acid sulfate soil. They also
stated that although the soil in the sago palm growing areas is a “problematic soil,” it
is one of the key factors in sago development. The development of a large-scale sago
palm monoculture plantation has been encouraged in peatland of Sarawak State as
the first program in the world (Kueh et al. 1991). According to the Deputy Chief
Minister and the Minister of Modernization of Agriculture of Sarawak, the new sago
planting (1441 ha) and rehabilitation (2562 ha) have been implemented since 2016,
benefiting 2460 farmers (“Uggah: Government committed to develop sago industry,” Borneo Post Online, July 19, 2018). The total sago palm area in Sarawak is
51,518 ha which contributes to an average starch export volume of 40,000–50,000
metric tons per year, increasing year by year. High demand and limited supply have
caused the price increase of sago flour according to the Deputy Chief Minister of
Modernization of Agriculture of Sarawak.
Although the estimated sago growing areas in each district throughout Indonesia
vary among reports, it is estimated to be as 800,441 to 4,371,590 ha in Papua,
including West Papua; 31,827 to 71,900 ha in Sumatra; 45,540 to 49,700 ha in
Sulawesi; 2000 to 50,000 ha in Kalimantan; and 30,048 to 47,600 ha in Maluku
(Bintoro 1999). In Java Island, the sago palm growing area remains only 262 ha. The
peatland in Indonesia was 20.6 million ha in 2005 (Wetlands International), but in
2011 it was 14.9 million ha (Indonesian Centre of Agricultural Land Resources
Research and Development and Indonesian Soil Research Institute). In another
report, the sago growing areas among total 14.9 million are 6.4 million (43%) in
Sumatra, 4.8 million ha (32%) in Kalimantan, and 3.7 million ha (25%) in Papua
(Pantau Gambut. Chap. 1.2, The Size and Distribution of Peatland in Indonesia.
Retrieved from https://en.pantaugambut.id/peatland-101/what-is-peat/the-size-anddistribution-of-peatland-in-indonesia). The main sago palm growing area in
480
H. Ehara et al.
promotion of sago starch utilization is expected recently. Sago palm will potentially
be an extremely high carbohydrate supply for various industries. This chapter provides a brief review on and future prospects of sago palm growth and production in
different soil conditions mostly in accordance with the publications from the Society
of Sago Palm Studies.
17.2 Sago Palm Distribution in each Peatland
Sago palm grows in peat soils and other soil types. Considering the nutrient
requirements, fluvial deposit-based soil is the optimum soil type for sago palms
(Okazaki and Kimura 2015). Sato et al. (1979) reported that the thicker the peat
deposit in the soil, the slower the sago palm grows, and that it grows better in soil
with a thinner peat layer and an underlying argillaceous deposit.
Sago palm is planted in peatland primarily when new planting is planned institutionally and due to the fact that other crops grow so poorly in peatland. Tie et al.
(1991) reported the distribution of sago palms in different soils in Sarawak, Malaysia
which consist of 62% peat soil, 33% gray soil, and 3% acid sulfate soil. They also
stated that although the soil in the sago palm growing areas is a “problematic soil,” it
is one of the key factors in sago development. The development of a large-scale sago
palm monoculture plantation has been encouraged in peatland of Sarawak State as
the first program in the world (Kueh et al. 1991). According to the Deputy Chief
Minister and the Minister of Modernization of Agriculture of Sarawak, the new sago
planting (1441 ha) and rehabilitation (2562 ha) have been implemented since 2016,
benefiting 2460 farmers (“Uggah: Government committed to develop sago industry,” Borneo Post Online, July 19, 2018). The total sago palm area in Sarawak is
51,518 ha which contributes to an average starch export volume of 40,000–50,000
metric tons per year, increasing year by year. High demand and limited supply have
caused the price increase of sago flour according to the Deputy Chief Minister of
Modernization of Agriculture of Sarawak.
Although the estimated sago growing areas in each district throughout Indonesia
vary among reports, it is estimated to be as 800,441 to 4,371,590 ha in Papua,
including West Papua; 31,827 to 71,900 ha in Sumatra; 45,540 to 49,700 ha in
Sulawesi; 2000 to 50,000 ha in Kalimantan; and 30,048 to 47,600 ha in Maluku
(Bintoro 1999). In Java Island, the sago palm growing area remains only 262 ha. The
peatland in Indonesia was 20.6 million ha in 2005 (Wetlands International), but in
2011 it was 14.9 million ha (Indonesian Centre of Agricultural Land Resources
Research and Development and Indonesian Soil Research Institute). In another
report, the sago growing areas among total 14.9 million are 6.4 million (43%) in
Sumatra, 4.8 million ha (32%) in Kalimantan, and 3.7 million ha (25%) in Papua
(Pantau Gambut. Chap. 1.2, The Size and Distribution of Peatland in Indonesia.
Retrieved from https://en.pantaugambut.id/peatland-101/what-is-peat/the-size-anddistribution-of-peatland-in-indonesia). The main sago palm growing area in
480
H. Ehara et al.