Farm machinery repair costs: a case study at oil palm plantations in Malaysia

Repair costs of farm machinery vary depending on specific geographical conditions of a country. This study was conducted to investigate current data on farm machinery repair costs with respect to characteristics of oil palm plantations in Malaysia. Relevant data were collected through face-to-face interviews and surveys that were carried out at several oil palm estates in Malaysia. Spreadsheet software was used to analyse the collected data. Findings of the study indicated relationships between farm machinery size and annual average repair costs in accordance with specific conditions and type of operations at the plantations. The relationships between farm machinery size and annual hours of farm machinery use, and farm machinery age are also discussed. This study also established a specific mathematical model for estimating Cumulative Repair and Maintenance (CRM) costs of farm machinery in Malaysian oil palm plantations.