Kulim Malaysia gets MPOB help to improve oil palm yield

KOTA TINGGI: Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on Dec 12 to enable it to use the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s (MPOB) technology to improve its oil palm yield.

Under the five-year MoA with the government agency, the company will use three MPOB technology applications to speed up the production of oil palm planting materials that can offer better yields.

The applications are DNA fingerprinting, SureSawit Virescens and SureSawit Shell Kit, Kulim executive director Zulkifly Zakariah told reporters after the signing ceremony here.

Aside from helping Kulim identify and verify choice seeds quickly and accurately, the deal would also save the company up to five years of research compared to 20 years using the existing technology, he said.

At the event, the company also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian Nuclear Agency to conduct research on new disease-resistant pineapple varieties.

Zulkifly said the effort would be accomplished through technology adaptation including mutation or radiation without a fixed period of cooperation.

Meanwhile, MPOB Biotechnology and Breeding Centre director Dr Mohamad Arif Abd Manaf said the collaboration with Kulim was a continuation of the agreement they signed five years ago.

“The first five-year phase previously was more on MPOB helping Kulim to build a breeding technology research laboratory. The second phase spanning also five years is more on enhancement, where we will use all the facilities in the laboratory for research benefits.

“This is important because, as we know, the government has set out to expand the ​​oil palm area, so we need to make sure that the land is planted with quality crops,” he said. – Bernama

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