Based on the author ’s field survey in Siuhamason, a Kubo-speaking village, in Papua New Guinea in 1988 and 1994, this paper reports some factors which affect productivity of sago making. The distinctive feature of sago making in Siuhamason is seen in beating pith before extracting starch, which amounts to one fourth of time spent in starch production and moy reduce productivity per hour. Since low productivity per labor time is compensated by increase of participants or work force, however, productivity per palm in Siuhamason is almost identical with that observed in Gwaimasi, another of Kubo-speaking village. Labor productivity of neighboring Pa-speaking visitors to Siuhnmason extremely exceeds that of Kubo villagers, and this may be caused by the different pounding tools and non-beating of pith. In Siuhamason, the people are not willing to accept new techniques for starch production, although they know them.

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 Palm sago is an efficient source of dietary energy in the otherwise marginal subsistence environment of the Purari delta. This report of sago subsistence and palm management of the Baroi in the context of nutritional and population ecology suggests that the reduction in the number of cultivars and increased palm density which has taken place as part of intensification of sago cultivation since 1947 has not resulted in improved nutritional status. The lack of change in the frequency of consumption of palm sago between 1947 and 1980, together with an increase in population size suggests increased overall production of this staple. However, it is not clear whether a ceiling to sago starch production has been reached. Increased population size has been largely attributed to reduced young child mortality as a consequence of health care provision, rather than dietary change. This study supports that view.

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 About 62% of the sago palms (Metroxylon sagu）in Sarawak are cultivated traditionally on peat. Fertilizer is not used and management is at a minimum. On deep peat only 15-20 trunks per ha per year are harvested as compared to 25-40 on mineral soils. Under such traditional and low density cultivation, the starch yield per trunk is comparable to those grown on mineral soils. However, the time to reach maturity is about 12-15 years as compared to 8-10 years on mineral soils. The total starch yield per unit area and time is thus significantly lower.
 Under intensive cultivation with other traditional practices, sago palm growth on deep peat is expected to be slow. It takes about 6 years to start trunk formation and at least 12 years to maturity as compared to respectively 4.5 years and 10 years on mineral soils. Premature desiccation of fronds occurs resulting in small palm crowns of about 10 fronds and sometimes even less. They have a total leaf area of about 90 m² as compared to 220 m² for those grown on mineral soils. The trunk volume is about 37% smaller. Preliminary investigation on starch yield per trunk of similar growth stages on deep peat shows that it is only 23% of that on mineral soils.
 As deep peat soils are being used for intensive cultivation of sago palm, the problem of fertilizer application should be solved first. If this problem can be solved, yields may be expected up to 200 kg dry starch per ha per year. Attention should also be paid to nursery practices, sucker regulation, spacing, control of pests, diseases and weeds, improvement of planting material and other as yet unknown factors.

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