The sago palm is felled. 
The trunk is split lengthwise and the pith is removed. 
The pith is crushed and kneaded to release the starch. 
The pith is washed and strained to extract the starch from the fibrous residue. 
The raw starch suspension is collected in a settling container. 
Palms are felled just before flowering, when the stems are richest in starch. One palm yields 150 to 300 kg of starch.