Assessing the Suitability of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Production in Peninsular Malaysia based on Soil, Climate and Land Use

Abstract

In recent years, palm oil production has grown rapidly as a result of rising demand. Oil palm plantations have been established on thousands of acres to meet this demand. The objective of this study is to assess the suitability of oil palm production as driven by soil, climate, and land use. The land suitability assessment (LSA) method was adopted in this study. We use geospatial techniques of overlay mapping as a suitable land suitability assessment method, in which the evaluation criteria are recorded as superimposed layers. A land suitability map is produced by integrating these layers into a single layer. The method is also applied to delineate available areas for growing oil palm in Peninsular Malaysia. The findings revealed that suitable soil areas for oil palm production are extensively found in the selected regions of Peninsular Malaysia, in states like Selangor and some parts of Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu with clay loam and sandy loam soil properties, while in the southern region like Melaka, moderate suitability for oil palm production was found due to the domination of clay soil in the area. Highly suitable areas were estimated (mean annual water deficit <150 mm) to be 3688254.00 ha (29.54%) of the total land area; suitable areas (mean annual water deficit <250 mm) were 6540669.00 ha (52.38%); moderately suitable areas were (mean annual water deficit <400 mm) 2227500.00 ha (17.84%), and unsuitable areas (mean annual water deficit >400mm) for oil palm production as a result of poor water availability was 31104.00ha (0.25%). The Land Use Land Cover Map of Peninsular Malaysia revealed the suitable areas to cover an average of 10885001.46 ha (82.45%), water bodies 1239505.58 ha (9.39%), built-up areas (unsuitable areas) 1051544.34 ha (7.96%), and bare surface areas are also not suitable areas for oil palm production at 26509.73 ha (0.20%). This study recommends that oil palm plantations be expanded into areas with highly suitable soils and climates.