Sarawak especially around Mukah is sago country. The sago palm is much adapted to low lying flooded conditions and Sarawak has the largest of such land which is categorised as peat soil. The peat develops from dead vegetation over the centuries.
Immature sago palms.
Cleared peatland to be planted with sago (pic). Peat depth can go down to more than 10 metres. It is noted that sago should not be planted where the peat depth is more than 5m. At deeper peat the palm does not produce trunks. This was the cause of failure of the sago plantations in Sarawak for 80% of the plantings were done at very deep peat.
After minimal drainage, the water table remains just below the soil surface. The soil is acidic. Under such environment few other crops can grow. Large scale plantings of oil palm have been carried out on fairly deep peat. It has been observed plantings on deep peat male flowers failed to develop.
Sago is planted using suckers produced from the base of mature trunks. They are nursed in ditches for a year before transplanted into the field. It takes about 12 years for the trunks to mature to 10 metres high when ready for harvest. The felled trunk is cut into 1m-length logs and transported via canals and rivers or lorries to sago flour factory. 6-month old planting (pic).
The Melanaus of Sarawak are the main people that make sago cultivation as their means of livelihood. As such their culture evolves around the use of sago parts - pith for starch-based food, leaves for roofs, baskets and other material culture, sago grubs for protein.
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