Oil palm research and development in Malaysia: progress and trends
1998
Jailani, B.S. (Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia))
Malaysia, with 2.6 million ha of oil palm, produced 8.39, 1.11, 1.38 and 0.91 million tonnes respectively of palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm kernel cake and oleochemicals in 1996. The total export earning was RM11.51 billion or 6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This shows a very significant contribution of oil palm industry in the socio-economic development of Malaysia. The industry is experiencing a number of constraints, especially labour shortage, availability of suitable land raising cost of production. The industry is also facing two critical inherent inefficiencies, firstly, too much dependent on oil as the main product with little utilisation of other components of total dry matter (biomass) and, secondly, a low level of mechanisation. These constraints and efficiencies are related strategic problems, especially planting material, yield, mechanisation costs, products, utilisation and marketing. However, these issues provide opportunities to create new critical technologies to reduce or eliminate these strategic problems. Many innovations and technologies had been created by R&D both in public and private sectors, which help the industry become more techno-economically competitive and sustainable. The realisation of these critical technologies could be forecasted. However, it requires efforts to create absorption and diffusion of these technologies by the oil palm industry.
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