29/08/2007 (Bernama), Kuala Lumpur - The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) plans to make oil palm genome study a national project in its move to boost the country's oil palm yield amid the current land limitations.

This, according to MPOB chairman Datuk Sabri Ahmad, will be undertaken through collaborations with local industry players and university experts.

"We are looking at the possibility of making it a national project so that all the expertise available both from the MPOB and the experts will ensure that this project can be achieved within the shortest period of time," he told Bernama at the International Palm Oil Congress here today.

Sabri said in Malaysia, unlike neighbouring countries, has limited landbank for oil palm cultivation and needed to focus on utilising fully the existing landbank and increasing productivity.

"To achieve this, we need good genetically transformed seedlings of oil palm, for example, so that the tonnage of oil per hectare can grow annually," he said.

Sabri said through the study, good genetically transformed seedlings could boost the tonnage of palm oil per hectare annually under less than optimal planting conditions in an estate.

He said to carry out the complete genome study might require a total investment of RM60 million or more.

"Right now, we are in talks with the government to get the allocation to run the complete genome study," he added.

As a start, MPOB is carrying out about 30 percent of the study, including a series of genes marking to produce new types of planting materials, Sabri said.

"We are targeting over the next three years to have the oil palm genes ready, and all these genes are responsible for getting the best of planting materials," he said.

Such a move, according to him, will also pave the way for MPOB to open an "oil palm supermarket" to supply genetically transformed planting materials, locally and overseas.

Oil palm production is expected to total less than 16 million tonnes this year, down from the earlier forecast of 16.25 million tonnes due to floods in the oil palm-growing state of Johor as well as a low production cycle.

-- BERNAMA