31/10/05 (The Star) - DESPITE its major role in breeding high oil yield palms for the IOI group, Gemencheh-based IOI Research Centre (IOI RC) is well sought after by many plantation companies keen on acquiring superior quality oil palm planting materials.

IOI RC plantation division senior manager (agronomy) Joshua Mathews said IOI RC sold about six million germinated seeds per year and big plantation companies like PPB Oil Palm Bhd, Rimbunan Hijau group, TH Plantations Bhd and Johor based J.C. Chang Group were among its major customers.

He said the centre's flagship IOI Deli x AVROS hybrids seed (DxP) gives high yields from the earliest years of production and is widely adaptable to different planting environments.

Its characteristics include large fruit size, thin fronds as well as high oil extraction rate, yield, photosynthetic efficiency and bunch numbers.

"The fruit contains more oil, a proven fact not only in IOI group's own experience but also in the field trials conducted by third parties including the Malaysian Palm Oil Board," Matthews told a group of research analysts and media representatives visiting the IOI RC in Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan last week.

To date, IOI RC has two main stations in Gemencheh, and Sandakan in Sabah with field research units in Gomali and Pamol in Johor as well as Pamol, Syarimo and Morisem in Sabah. IOI RC is heavily involved in breeding and seed production through its three production units producing about six million seeds per year.

It also has a pre-nursery with a production capacity of 2.4 million seedlings per annum. The centre also conducts clone trials equipped with analysis labs and germplasm conservation.



The IOI Research Centre in Gemenche, Negri Sembilan.

According to Matthews, IOI group's direct involvement in oil palm research started with the acquisition of Dunlop Estates Bhd in 1990. IOI RC is formerly known as Dunlop Research Centre, which was established since the 1950's.

The research centre has a long history of research in inland areas of Peninsular Malaysia on the three plantation crops such as rubber, oil palm and cocoa.

At the time of IOI's acquisition, the research programme included a small oil palm breeding component inherited through Dunlop's earlier involvement in Oil Palm Genetics Laboratory (OPGL).

In January 2003, IOI acquired the Unipamol Group from Unilever. This brought with it the extensive oil palm planting materials development programme including seed production of Pamol Plantations and thus united under the IOI umbrella two oil palm breeding programmes that share a common beginning in 1965 in OPGL.