9/14/2005 (Antara) - The Indonesian National News Agency via NewsEdgeCorporation : Bengkulu - Chinese investors are building three crude palmoil (CPO) processing plants in Mukomuko district, Bengkulu province, alocal official said.

"The plants will each have a capacities of 30,000 tons per hour and beoperational in the near future," Edy Nevian, head of the Bengkuluadministration's marine, fisheries, agriculture and plantation office,said here on Saturday.

He also said, the plants would take in oil palm production especially fromlocal farmers' plantations.

The district so far had five plants including a plant belonging to palmoil and CPO processing firm PT Agricinal.

He said the existing plants are unable to accomodate the output of 54,000hectares of oil palm plantations belonging to local farmers and companies.

The official hoped more investors would build CPO processing plantsbecause oil palm plantations in the district would continue to increase.

"We will continue to develop oil palm plantations because oil palm fruitis one of our main plantation products," Edy said.