Sime Darby Plantation calls for tech collaborations in oil palm industry to close global food gap
30.03.2021 (www.theedgemarkets.com) - PETALING JAYA (March 30): There is a need for technological collaborations in the global oil palm industry to increase plantation and yield potential, said Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP).
The group’s chief research and development officer Dr Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam said such collaborations are crucial, as the world population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.
“If we were able to do such collaborations, we are moving towards closing the 56% food gap.
“That will require basically all various (technology) platforms to be integrated, including genomics, agronomy, microbiology, robotics, mechanisation and digitalisation,” he said during a webinar series hosted by SDP today.
During the 90-minute dialogue session, panellists shared updates of SDP’s GenomeSelect oil palm seeds.
After a decade of research and with an investment of RM150 million, SDP developed the GenomeSelect seeds which have climate change resilience and disease tolerance capability.
The seeds also have the potential to increase crude palm oil (CPO) yields by 20% and produce palm oil which is easier to harvest.
Accordingly, Harikrishna said the company’s target is to ensure all of its replanting areas will be using the GenomeSelect seeds by 2023.
The group’s aim ultimately is to produce eight to nine tonnes of CPO per hectare regardless of weather conditions, he said.