KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Palm oil industry players should takeadvantage of the German experience, technology and financial assistance toexpand their business, said Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr LimKeng Yaik here today.

Speaking at a "Seminar on Palm Biomass: Opportunities ForCommercialisation," he said the potential of the palm oil industry has notreached saturation as "there are still many parts of the oil palm, whichhave not been put to good use yet."

"Our hope is for the palm oil industry to develop to a stage where thereare many thriving industries founded upon oil palm biomass, instead ofrelying solely on palm oil as the only product of the plantation," hesaid.

The two-day seminar is jointly organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board(MPOB) and two German companies the Frauhofer liaison office in Malaysiaand the Hannover-Hildesheim Chamber of Commerce of the State of LowerSaxonia.

Dr Lim noted that the Germans are well known for their success incommercialisation of wood-based products and highly developed small andmedium scale scale industries (SMIs).

He also said that when the industry is well explored in the fresh fruitbunches (FFB) which can be sold at a higher value, it is based on not onlythe palm oil content computation, but also on its fibre and empty fruitbunch value.

-- BERNAMA