Analysis of the Benefits of Livestock to Oil Palm in an Integrated System: Evidence from Selected Districts in Johor, Malaysia

Symbiotic relationships have been known to exist in Livestock-oil palm integration; this survey demonstrates with statistical figures based on current evidence on only the benefits of livestock on oil palm in an integrated system. Data were collected from 255 respondents under smallholder scheme in districts of Johor for the 2011 production season; basic descriptive statistics and farm budget tools were used for analysis. Results indicate that farmers maintain an average farm size of 2.52 ha to obtain an average Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) yield of 18.45 t/ha/yr, representing 2.6 t/ha/yr or 14.1% increase in yield due to livestock integration, an average labour cost of RM5.12/manhour was estimated and Total Variable Cost constitute 88% of cost of production as against 12% for Total Fixed Cost. Furthermore, analyses show that, FFB accounts for the majority (81%) of the revenue in the integration system, while the livestock constitute (15%), Palm Oil Fronds (3%) and animal dung (0.03%).