BANTING, May 12 (Bernama) -- Golden Hope Plantations Bhd's newly-launchedBiotechnology Centre here will start producing oil palm tissue cultureplanting materials within one to two months, its group chief executiveDatuk Sabri Ahmad said.

He said that the RM5.4 million building in Golden Hope Research Centrehere was primarily designed to produce ramets.

The centre has the capacity to produce 100,000 ramets a year to cater forGolden Hope's replanting programme, he said.

Sabri said that Golden Hope would dedicate about five percent or about10,000 hactares for its replanting programme a year using the tissueculture materials.

"Pilot planting of these clones have started in our various estates," hetold reporters after the launch of the Biotechnology Centre by SelangorMenteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, here today.

He said that the clones were capable of producing high yield of more than40 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches per hectare annually and 30 percent oilto bunch ratio.

Sabri said that the biotechnology centre would also undertake productionof other clonal planting materials such as tea tree, acacia, teak, TongkatAli, bananas and pineapples.

Research to develop numerous healthy oils and fats products could also beconducted, he said.

-- BERNAMA