Areca catechu leaf sheaf petiole plates

The Secretary-Treasurer of the Awak Farmers Association, Loatis Seneres, presented on leaf sheaf petiole plates being produced by the Awak Farmers Association.


These plates represent a modern evolution in ethnobotanical material culture. These plates are intended to replace single use plastic and styrofoam plates. Being made from the leaf sheaf portion of the petiole of an Areca palm here on Pohnpei, the plates are environmentally friendly and fully biodegradable.

The process begins with collecting, cleaning, and storing fallen Areca catechu palm fronds. The fronds should be stored in a dry place. The sooner the frond is collected from the ground, the lighter the color of the leaf sheath.

Plate production begins with soaking the petiole for ten to fifteen minutes to make the leaf sheath more flexible and pliable. The leaf sheath is then allowed to dry slightly for fifteen to twenty minutes.


A single leaf sheath is used, three to five plates can be produced from a single sheaf depending on the size of the plate and the sheaf. The press unit is hydraulic with heated elements to press, form, and cut the leaf sheath into a plate. The Awak Farmers Association can produce five sizes of plates.


The challenge for the association has not been on the demand side but rather on the Areca frond supply side. At first the association collected fronds from members of the kousapw (land unit) in Awak. No compensation was paid for the fronds as the fronds had always been discarded as useless. In relatively short order the association exhausted the local supply and reached out beyond the kousapw for fronds. Others, however, were reticent to supply the project as the project had no direct benefit to them. The association recently shifted to offering 15 cents per frond and has been working to obtain more fronds from elsewhere on the island.



The supply issue meant that this past summer an order for 500 Areca plates saw only 300 delivered. The association is now considering raising the price to 25 cents a frond as an incentive to those with betelnut trees to bring in their fronds. Yap is also producing Areca plates, conflicting reports suggest that Yap was paying a nickel a frond, but may now be paying a quarter a frond.


A dozen plates sell for $3.75. The Association has a goal of keeping the Areca plate price under the market price for single use plastic plates.

The presentation concluded with my coverage of the increasing awareness of the health risks posed by plastics in the environment, which is the very problem the Areca plates are intended to address. Only recently has the health risk of microplastics in seafood been appreciated, and the research into potential harm to humans has only just begun. We know that plastics are present in the flesh of the seafood we eat, and research is showing effects on blood proteins in humans, and there are concerns of linkages to cancers.

Plastic appears to be a clear and present danger to humans, particularly those who rely on seafoods, making the Areca plates not just environmentally friendly but making their use a matter of health and ultimately survival for Pacific islanders.

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