Abstract
The amount of starch extracted is highly dependent on the growth stage of the sago palm. In this study, three sago palms at different growth stages, namely flowering stage, 4-5 years trunk formation stage and 3-4 years trunk formation stage grown in mineral soils were cut down. The objectives of this study were to compare the amount of starch accumulated in its stem and to perform economic income and feasibility analysis using traditional starch extraction methods in the Municipality of Dulag, Province of Leyte, Philippines. The results showed that the largest amount of starch accumulated was found in sago palm at flowering stage with a potential of nearly 60 kg per palm, while 4-5 year sago palm at trunk formation stage only resulted to approximately 22 kg per palm and no starch was extracted in 3-4 year old sago palm. The sago pith was 60% of the total volume of sago logs and large amounts of residue were observed. The labor required in harvesting sago palm at flowering stage was 5 man-days, mostly provided by the family labor force. The total cost of harvesting in sago palm at flowering stage was US$ 13.89. The retail price of air-dried starch was US$ 0.093 per 150 g, which was cheaper compared to that in Mindanao. The gross income was US$ 33.76 producing a net income of US$ 19.87 per palm. On the other hand, harvesting young sago palms at 3-4 year and 4-5 year trunk formation stages is considered to be impractical.
https://ror.org/00qg0kr10 
