KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s target to produce more than 35 tonnes of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per hectare may be realised soon with a newly-found technique to increase yield.
BACKBONE OF SABAH’S ECONOMY: Ismail says the oil palm sector has been the backbone of Sabah’s economy, contributing RM13.9 billion revenue to the state last year, about 37.4 per cent of the total export earnings.
State Agriculture Department director MC Ismail Salam said the department entered into a 10-year agreement with Genting Plantations Bhd (Genting Plantations) recently for a joint oil palm breeding programme which could help select planting materials for the growth of quality oil palm trees.
He said the marker-assisted selection (MAS) process, developed by Genting Plantations’ subsidiary, ACGT Sdn Bhd, was a faster approach to determine desirable traits of the plant’s genes for a crossbreed to produce seedlings for high-quality harvest.
“The traditional way was a slow process as we have to record our observations on the plant’s growth. That could take up to 10 years.
“Using the MAS technique, we no longer have to wait for the plant to mature to know if it is of a good breed or not,” he told Bernama.
Ismail said the technique was an important tool to address the problem of expanding oil palm plantations to increase productivity owing to land scarcity in Sabah.
He said Sabah has 7.3 million hectares of land but only 2.2 million hectares are suitable for agriculture.
About 1.4 million hectares of suitable agricultural land have been taken up for oil palm plantations which are producing 30 tonnes of FFB per hectare, he said.
“Such technological leaps are urgently needed for increasing productivity per unit area in the state as Sabah has limited land available for further oil palm estate expansion and for replacement of old and ageing oil palm trees,” he said.
He said the MAS technique was precise and encountered less trial and error in determining desirable traits such as weight of the fruit which means higher volume of palm oil extraction.
Ismail said the oil palm sector has been the backbone of Sabah’s economy, contributing RM13.9 billion revenue to the state last year, about 37.4 per cent of the total export earnings.
Further consolidation would provide extra bonus to the industry and smallholders in the state, he added. — Bernama