A modified pole-and-and-knife (MPK) method of harvesting oil palms was designed and
fabricated. The method was tested along with two existing methods, namely the bamboo
pole-and-knife (BPK) and the single rope-and-cutlass (SRC) methods. Test results showed
that the MPK method was superior to the other methods in reducing the time spent in
searching for and collecting scattered loose fruits (and hence the harvesting time), increasing
the recovery of scattered loose fruits, eliminating the waist problem of the fruit collectors and
increasing the ease of transportation and use of the harvesting pole