KUALA LUMPUR, 10 May 2023 – The three-day Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) 2023 Meeting which began yesterday will address the key issues in the Malaysian oil palm industry to ensure that it will continue to accelerate growth and progress towards a more sustainable future.
Chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said topping the list of the key issues is the need for yield improvement which requires immediate attention as the local oil palm industry has been facing stagnant yields which could affect its growth and sustainability.
“We need to prioritise the development of high-yielding materials through advanced biotechnology, breeding, and cloning tools, aimed at improving disease resistance, enhancing oil quality traits, and ensuring resilience to climate change which will result in a significant increase in yield,” he said in his opening remarks at the meeting, here, today.
MPOB has identified and prioritised five research focus areas namely Yield Performance, Sustainable Development, Mechanisation & Automation, Food Safety & Nutrition, and Value Addition which are aligned with the five fundamental pillars of the National Agri-Commodity Policy 2021-2030 or DAKN 2030.
Mohamad Helmy said another critical area that needs innovative solutions is sustainable development as various issues and concerns have emerged as the oil palm industry continues to grow, ranging from land-use change and deforestation to the pollution of water, air, and land, as well as threats to biodiversity and conservation efforts.
According to him, the Malaysian oil palm industry will continue to produce sustainable palm oil following the principles and criteria set by the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification (MSPO). As of 31 March 2023, 96.72 per cent of the total oil palm planted areas in Malaysia have been MSPO certified.
The PAC Members comprising experts in the oils and fats sector will also deliberate ideas on the development of innovative tools that can help boost productivity and minimise reliance on manual labour in the oil palm plantations.
“The adoption of mechanisation and automation in the Malaysian oil palm industry is crucial to enhance productivity and reduce reliance on manual labour. In line with this, the Malaysian Government has established the Mechanisation and Automation Research Consortium of Oil Palm (MARCOP) which aims to enhance research and development of mechanisation and automation technologies within the oil palm plantation sector,” he said.
Mohamad Helmy also said that the Malaysian oil palm industry will collaborate with the PAC Members to explore additional innovative solutions to improve food safety and nutrition standards in the oil palm industry.
“There have been increasing concerns about the presence of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) in palm oil and the Malaysian oil palm industry has been actively working to address these concerns. MPOB has been conducting research and collaborating with technology providers to develop solutions to mitigate the levels of 3-MCPDE and GE in palm oil,” he said.
On value addition, he said that the Malaysian oil palm industry can increase its competitiveness and sustainability by developing new and innovative products.
“This will also create new prospects for economic growth and job creation, as well as satisfy the growing market demand for more sustainable and innovative goods.
PAC Members have direct experience and knowledge of the industry, which can be important for designing relevant, applicable and impactful research in this area,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director General of MPOB Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Hj Ghulam Kadir, in his presentation to the PAC Members, said that the performance of the oil palm industry, particularly production of crude palm oil has started to increase slightly as the labour situation improved towards the second half of the year.
“The temporary suspension of foreign workers intake was lifted in early 2022, however, due to some issues, the inflow of foreign workers into Malaysia is slower than expected. In the first half of 2022, the labour crunch issue continued took a toll on production,” he said.
He also said that the consumption of Malaysian palm oil is expected to rise following Indonesia’s policy to impose a higher biodiesel blending mandate.
“Effective on 1 February 2023, Indonesia has imposed a higher biodiesel blending mandate, its B35 from B30 and thus increased domestic consumption of palm oil. Indonesia’s latest policy changes would further restrict global palm oil supply and therefore, demand for the Malaysian palm oil is expected to increase which in turn will assist in reducing higher domestic palm oil stocks,” Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez said.
The PAC Members evaluate and provide recommendations to ensure MPOB’s research and development (R&D) strategy meets the needs of the oil palm industry and ensures new project proposals can be implemented efficiently and systematically in line with the set focus areas.
The PAC Members, among others, advise the board on the new and ongoing research programmes and the direction of the R&D in the oil palm industry.
— Akses Malaysia
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