Agriculture and operations

From land verification to reinvestment, an agricultural estate follows a lifecycle that cannot be rushed. This page explains each stage and how the three crops differ.

Farm workers maintaining a path between crop rows on a tropical estate
Fourteen stages

The agricultural lifecycle

Each stage depends on the one before it. Skipping ahead is how estates fail.

The foundation estate is verified, soil testing is complete and land preparation is under way. See the Transparency page for current status.

  1. Land verification

    Confirm ownership, boundaries, encumbrances and community agreements before anything else is spent.

  2. Survey and mapping

    Produce an accurate map of the parcel, its access points and its natural features.

  3. Soil testing

    Sample and analyse soils to confirm crop suitability and plan fertilisation.

  4. Drainage and topography assessment

    Identify slopes, watercourses and waterlogged areas; separate plantable from non-plantable land.

  5. Site preparation

    Clear, lay out roads and blocks, and prepare planting positions according to the design.

  6. Nursery and seedling sourcing

    Secure certified planting material from reputable sources; raise or harden seedlings as required.

  7. Planting

    Plant at the recommended spacing and season, with cover crops and initial fertilisation.

  8. Maintenance

    Weeding, circle clearing, fertilisation, pest and disease control through the establishment years.

  9. Field monitoring

    Regular inspection and record-keeping of plant health, losses and replacements.

  10. Harvesting

    Once mature, harvest in rounds at the correct ripeness for quality and price.

  11. Transport

    Move produce promptly to buyers or processing to preserve quality.

  12. Sales or processing

    Sell fresh produce to established buyers, or process where volumes justify it.

  13. Financial reconciliation

    Match sales, costs and inventory; produce approved records.

  14. Reinvestment and expansion

    Apply surplus to maintenance, reserves and phased expansion toward the long-term target.

Crop by crop

Oil palm, coconut and mango

Each crop has its own establishment period, maintenance routine and market. The summaries below describe the general process, not Tera Farms results.

Young oil palm plantation with a grassed access path between rows

Oil palm

Elaeis guineensis

The flagship crop. Oil palm produces fresh fruit bunches (FFB) that are sold to mills or processed into palm oil and palm kernel products.

Establishment (year 0–1): nursery-raised seedlings are planted at recommended spacing with cover crops and initial fertilisation.

Juvenile growth (years 1–3): the palms are maintained through weeding, circle clearing, fertilisation and pest monitoring. No commercial harvest.

Maturity and early production (from about year 3–4, depending on planting material and conditions): bunches begin to form and harvesting rounds start.

Full production (later years): regular harvesting rounds continue for many years with ongoing maintenance.

Harvesting and FFB sales: ripe bunches are cut, collected and transported to a buyer or mill promptly to preserve quality.

Potential processing: at sufficient volume, on-site or partner processing into crude palm oil may be evaluated.

Coconut plantation with tall palms over natural ground cover

Coconut

Cocos nucifera

A complementary division. Coconut produces nuts for fresh, dried and processed markets and tolerates a range of coastal-zone conditions.

Establishment: selected seedlings are planted with attention to drainage and spacing.

Juvenile growth: several years of maintenance before bearing begins; timing depends on the variety.

Bearing: nuts are harvested in rounds throughout the year and sold fresh or for processing.

Young mango orchard with a grassed path between rows of fruiting trees

Mango

Mangifera indica

A complementary fruit division. Mango is a seasonal crop with fresh-market and processing outlets.

Establishment: grafted seedlings of selected varieties are planted and protected during early growth.

Juvenile growth: pruning, training and maintenance until the trees begin to bear.

Bearing: a seasonal harvest each year, with fruit sold fresh or to processors.

Tera Farms does not publish yield or profit figures for its estates at this stage. Any figures published in future will show their assumptions, calculation method and source, and will be reviewed for the specific conditions of the farm.

Plain language

How the business generates revenue

An agricultural business earns money only when produce is sold. The terms below are used consistently across this website and in our reporting.

Potential revenue channels

  1. Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) sales. Ripe oil palm bunches sold to mills or aggregators. The primary channel for an oil palm estate.
  2. Palm fruit processing. Processing FFB into crude palm oil and kernel products. A potential later stage once volumes justify it.
  3. Coconut and mango sales. Fresh or processed produce from the complementary divisions.
  4. Agricultural value-chain services. Nursery, logistics or management services offered to others, if developed.
  5. Approved partnerships and other activities. Other commercial activities approved by management and, where required, by counsel.

Revenue is not profit

Revenue
Money received from sales or other legitimate business activities.
Operating costs
Expenses required to run the business: labour, inputs, fuel, maintenance, management, administration.
Gross profit
Revenue minus applicable direct costs, according to the selected accounting approach.
Net profit
Profit after relevant operating, administrative, financing, tax and other allowable expenses.
Distributable profit
The amount legally and operationally available for distribution after required deductions and reserves. Gross revenue is never distributable profit.

Gross revenue is never presented as profit, and no participant is promised a fixed percentage of gross sales.