KUCHING: Malaysian Palm Oil Board ( MPOB) in collaboration with Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (SOPPOA) has carried out a workshop at RH Hotel Sibu to generate research and development ideas to help enhance productivity and improve plantation management practices in the state oil palm industry.
The Malaysian oil palm industry has been identified as a key sector and growth engine in the National Economic Transformation Programmes and is one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas ( NKEA) expected to make substantial contribution to the performance of the national economy.
Currently, the palm oil industry is a significant contributor to the national economy with over 5.64 million hectares of planted area as of December 2015 and the industry, supported by strategic policies as well as research and development from MPOB, has experienced steady growth over the years with exciting developments for potential growth in the downstream sector.
In Sarawak, the oil palm industry is a growing and key sector of the economy and is a relatively young industry compared to the rest of the country.
The industry has a total planted area of 1.44 million hectares, making up 25 per cent of the total area under oil palm in the country and has the highest expansion rate of over 8 per cent per annum. The industry contributes an estimated RM3.9 billion to the state GDP (2014) and total sales tax revenue of about RM1.9 billion to the state government in the period from 2010 to 2015.
SOPPOA had previously highlighted to MPOB the serious concerns of substantially lower FFB yields in the Sarawak palm oil industry, and it was noted that Sarawak recorded much lower yield per hectare compared to those in Sabah and Peninsula Malaysia and Oil Extraction Rates in the state has been on a declining trend over the years since 2009.
MPOB director general Datuk Dr Choo Yuen May has previously agreed to provide the necessary support to SOPPOA with the proposal of conducting a workshop so that research and development ideas could be generated to cater to the needs of the Sarawak palm oil industry.
The workshop was conducted by Dr Norman Kamarudin, MPOB Biology Research Division director and his team of research officers, and following the workshop, MPOB researchers will work with interested SOPPOA membercompanies on the identified R& D projects with focus on agronomy issues, fertiliser recommendations, issues related to poor fruit set in both peat and mineral oils and low oil extraction rate, weevil population study, insect pests, rat management and control and management of ganoderma disease.
These projects are expected to be implemented from April 2016 onwards and a small task force will be formed comprising members from the MPOB research team and SOPPOA research and development committee.
Choo also held a dialogue with all SOPPOA members present to discuss and address issues affecting the oil palm industry in the country.
Taken from The Borneo Post
