Strategic optimization of harvest collection points in oil palm plantations☆

Oil palm harvesting operations, particularly the collection and transportation of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), represent a significant portion of production costs and rely heavily on manual labor. The spatial configuration of fruit collection points (FCPs) directly impacts operational efficiency, yet their placement is often determined through empirical criteria rather than systematic optimization. This study presents a methodology for optimizing FCP locations in oil palm plantations, taking into account spatial yield variability and labor productivity constraints. Using data from a 148.1-ha plantation in Colombia’s eastern region, we first characterized the relationship between plot productivity and harvesting efficiency, finding that the area serviced by harvest teams decreased from 4.0 to 1.7 ha day−1 as yield increased from 10 to 30 t ha−1. This relationship informed the subdivision of production plots into operational units, which served as input for a p-median optimization model to determine optimal FCP locations. The optimized configuration reduced the mean transport distance by 15.8% (from 239.7 m to 201.9 m) and the median distance by 10.6% (from 218.8 m to 195.7 m), while maintaining the current number of collection points. The methodology provides a data-driven approach to plantation infrastructure planning that could be particularly valuable for operations seeking to improve logistics efficiency without additional capital investment.