Meeting Loose Fruit Pickers

A loose fruit picker (Kenram-Mapantig Plantation) September 2012

Loose fruit pickers

I have started my household surveys which is the 1st phase of my research. I prudently decided that a basic survey was vital to ascertain the socio-economic conditions of the lives of women in plantations here. This includes women workers and members of the committees of MAPARBEMPCO. As I am still working on that post, I have decided to publish the fascinating lives of women who are at the lowest rung of the entire establishment. According to the organizational chart of MAPARBEMPCO, loose fruit pickers are at the very bottom of the structure. 

MAPARBEMPCO's Organization/Operational Chart 

A total of 16 women are employed to pick loose oil palm fruit. The fruits fall from the bunches which are harvested from the trees. They mostly fall on to the ground and must be picked manually. This task is mainly relegated to women in the plantation. It is considered 'light work' compared to other tasks such as harvesting which requires a great exertion of strength. This is the general opinion of most people who work there. Not all of the loose fruit pickers are members of MAPARBEMPCO, some of them are spouses or relatives of members. 

Tasks

The task of picking loose fruits is actually back breaking work. Imagine walking and stooping to pick up 50 small round fruits around a tree with has thick undergrowth. Some of them complained of ant bites which can be very painful. Some pickers tend to squat to pick the fruits if they are tired. They have to eventually cover a large area if they want to accumulate enough fruits to fill large sacks which can weigh up to 25 kilogrammes per sack. The pickers also need to carry a pail in which the collected fruits are dropped. When it fills up, it has to be tipped into the sack. They usually have to carry these heavy sacks on their heads. The short video shows how this activity is done - Picking loose fruits. They have to cover an area of at least 1 hectare or approximately 120 trees on average.

Schedules

The women leave their homes very early in the morning. Their days usually start at 5.00 am. After a gulp of native coffee (unfiltered), they walk to the plantation which is about 1 km away depending on where they live. They are allocated sectors and move in once the harvest is completed. They work non-stop till 12 noon, after which they return for lunch. 

Francisca Bernado

Francisca Bernado

Francisca Bernado is a loose fruit picker on the KENRAM-MAPANTIG Plantation. Francisca explains that she is required to carry heavy loads on her head. She  carries sacks of loose oil palm fruit on her head as she collects them at the plantation. The weight of the load causes serious body ache. She feels it most along her back, she often seeks pain relief at the barangay health centre. She is provided muscle relaxants which sometimes helps. She often consumes local alcohol "Tarduray" to help her suppress the pain. 

On average, she picks fruits which fill 2 large plastic bags which weigh about 25 kilogrammes each. The rate per kilogramme is Philippines Peso (Php) 1. During a good harvest she can fill about 3 bags which amounts to P 75.00 for a day's work which is equivalent to less than USD $ 1.25 per day. However, this also depends on the harvest of the day. She makes about P 1,000 - 1,600 per month.