Enhancement of date palm as a source of multiple products: Examples from other industrialized palms

Multipurpose palm species development would benefit from a broader consideration of the varied economic products palms can potentially provide. All economic palm species have a primary product which accounts for their exploitation or domestication and industrialization. A nearly-exclusive emphasis on the primary product has often obscured the potential value of secondary products. Responsible disposal of residues from harvesting and processing of primary palm products often has the potential of being transformed from a disposal expense and potential source of environmental pollutants into secondary products of value. Examples from other palms which may have applicability to date palm production include: 1) In the oil palm industry, empty palm oil fruit bunches are used as fuel to generate electrical energy and yield a fine ash with industrial uses. 2) In coconut plantation operations, pruned leaves and unwanted husks can be used as fertilizer for the plantation or burned to generate energy. 3) Replacement of ageing plantation trees provides an abundance of woody material requiring disposal, affording a periodic opportunity for innovative secondary product harvest. Technical research on the utilization of palm by-products is typically focused on an individual species, but the results often have broad potential adoption for other economic palms.