Indonesia is currently distributed across peatlands. The sago palm cultivation area
managed by smallholders in Indonesia differs greatly, i.e. 73,552 ha in Sumatra;
37,152 ha in Papua (Papua and West Papua); 14,666 ha in Sulawesi; 7595 ha in
Kalimantan; and 39,941 ha in Maluku (Directorate General of Estate Crops, 2017).
In Papua district, the sago palm cultivation area has been expanded. The President
Director of Indonesia State-Owned Forest Enterprise (Perhutani) stated that
Perhutani has a license for 15,000 ha of sago palm forest (native sago area of
permission to culture in native forest) in Papua, and has gone into partnership with
the local farmers (“Perhutani to operate SE Asia’s largest sago factory,” Jakarta
Post, September 6, 2014). Perhutani planned to operate a sago factory in Sorong,
Perhutani claims that the sago palm cultivation in West Papua (starting in 2021) is
the largest area in the Southeast Asia region. National demand for starch (sago
essence) reached around five million tons per year, while the country’s sago industry
could supply only 3.5 million tons annually. The President of Indonesia supported to
open the largest sago plantation in Kais, West Papua, Indonesia (“Indonesia’s
biggest sago plant kicks off operation,” Jakarta Post, January 1, 2016). This
plantation is operated by the state-owned forestry firm, Perum Perhutani, and it
tries to boost sago production for domestic needs and exports. This concession area
for sago plantation covering 16,000 ha is the largest in Indonesia.
As described above, sago palms mostly grow in areas of lower altitude, albeit
being distributed in valleys of hilly areas such as East Sepik in Papua New Guinea or
along lakes, for example, around the Lake Tondano in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Sasaoka (2006, 2007) surveyed starch production in sago palms growing in
Manusela (730 m above sea level), one of the villages scattered across Manusela
Valley between Mount Kobipoto (1577 m) and Mount Binaiya (3027 m) in Seram
Island, Maluku, Indonesia. This village is considered to be the upper altitude limit
for sago palm growth (Yamamoto 2015b). The starch yield per palm is 68 kg (per
plant). It is lower than that of in the coastal area on the same island, which amounted
to 165 kg (per plant), as reported by Ellen (1979). The trunk of sago palms grown in
highland seems to be slightly shorter and greater in diameter compared to that of
sago palms grown in the areas of lower altitude.
17.3 Morphology of Sago Palm
17.3.1 Leaf
Flach and Schuiling (1991) compared the leaf characteristics of sago palms in Batu
Pahat in Johor and Mukah in Sarawak, Malaysia and Seram Island, Indonesia (peat
soils stretch in Mukah), and reported marked variations in the total leaflet area of
single leaf as 4 m
2 , 9 m
2 , and 20 m
2 , respectively, in the three different sites. The
difference in the total leaflet area could be attributed to the number of leaflets and
single leaflet area that was subject to its length and width. Yamamoto (2015a)
mentioned that the differences in the number of leaflets and their size were
17 Sago Palm in Peatland
481
managed by smallholders in Indonesia differs greatly, i.e. 73,552 ha in Sumatra;
37,152 ha in Papua (Papua and West Papua); 14,666 ha in Sulawesi; 7595 ha in
Kalimantan; and 39,941 ha in Maluku (Directorate General of Estate Crops, 2017).
In Papua district, the sago palm cultivation area has been expanded. The President
Director of Indonesia State-Owned Forest Enterprise (Perhutani) stated that
Perhutani has a license for 15,000 ha of sago palm forest (native sago area of
permission to culture in native forest) in Papua, and has gone into partnership with
the local farmers (“Perhutani to operate SE Asia’s largest sago factory,” Jakarta
Post, September 6, 2014). Perhutani planned to operate a sago factory in Sorong,
Perhutani claims that the sago palm cultivation in West Papua (starting in 2021) is
the largest area in the Southeast Asia region. National demand for starch (sago
essence) reached around five million tons per year, while the country’s sago industry
could supply only 3.5 million tons annually. The President of Indonesia supported to
open the largest sago plantation in Kais, West Papua, Indonesia (“Indonesia’s
biggest sago plant kicks off operation,” Jakarta Post, January 1, 2016). This
plantation is operated by the state-owned forestry firm, Perum Perhutani, and it
tries to boost sago production for domestic needs and exports. This concession area
for sago plantation covering 16,000 ha is the largest in Indonesia.
As described above, sago palms mostly grow in areas of lower altitude, albeit
being distributed in valleys of hilly areas such as East Sepik in Papua New Guinea or
along lakes, for example, around the Lake Tondano in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Sasaoka (2006, 2007) surveyed starch production in sago palms growing in
Manusela (730 m above sea level), one of the villages scattered across Manusela
Valley between Mount Kobipoto (1577 m) and Mount Binaiya (3027 m) in Seram
Island, Maluku, Indonesia. This village is considered to be the upper altitude limit
for sago palm growth (Yamamoto 2015b). The starch yield per palm is 68 kg (per
plant). It is lower than that of in the coastal area on the same island, which amounted
to 165 kg (per plant), as reported by Ellen (1979). The trunk of sago palms grown in
highland seems to be slightly shorter and greater in diameter compared to that of
sago palms grown in the areas of lower altitude.
17.3 Morphology of Sago Palm
17.3.1 Leaf
Flach and Schuiling (1991) compared the leaf characteristics of sago palms in Batu
Pahat in Johor and Mukah in Sarawak, Malaysia and Seram Island, Indonesia (peat
soils stretch in Mukah), and reported marked variations in the total leaflet area of
single leaf as 4 m
2 , 9 m
2 , and 20 m
2 , respectively, in the three different sites. The
difference in the total leaflet area could be attributed to the number of leaflets and
single leaflet area that was subject to its length and width. Yamamoto (2015a)
mentioned that the differences in the number of leaflets and their size were
17 Sago Palm in Peatland
481