Yield Improvement And Carbon Management - A Strategic Priority For The Palm Oil Industry
Today Indonesia & Malaysia accounts for more than 80 percent of the world's total palm oil production.
Netherlands, a major palm oil importer recently made a firm stance that by 2015, it will be committed to using only sustainable palm oil.
The green consumer is mounting across the globe, with the recent spotlight on IOI Corp, a waking call to the industry that green palm oil will be here to stay.
April 7 2011 (Reuters) - An industry body for eco-friendly palm oil has censured Malaysia's second largest palm oil planter, IOI Corp, alleging ithas drained peatlands and felled forests on Borneo island to expand and that it could face further sanctions.
The Indonesian government and several global environment think tanks concur that, if cultivation is banned on peatland , there are about 6 million hectares of degraded land that could be used for oil palm expansion. So how do you identify these degraded land ? What methods are available to detect forest activities, disruption to rural communities, forest conversion all in the effort to minimise carbon emissions ?
Breakthroughs on high-yielding planting materials continue to be an important emphasis for palm oil companies to help increase productivity and relieve pressure to extend palm cultivation.
Recent developments like F1 hybrids by Sumatra Bioscience/Lonsum has proven to yield 6-10 times more than conventional varieties increasing the yield per hectare.
Also interest in Interspecific Hybrid - (Oleifera X Guineensis) Blend in Colombia and Breeding programs in Ghana and Cameroon will be discussed at this conference.
Above all, observing Best agricultural practices would be key to sustainability. This includes fertiliser & nutrient management, mechanisation and management of the ganoderma disease.
Fertiliser not only constitutes the largest cost contributor for a palm oil plantation, but also contributes significant NOX levels to the environment if not managed properly.
Today, there are fertiliser recommendation systems that allow agronomists to ascertain accurately the nutrient balance and fertiliser required for the plantation to ensure sustainable usage.
Ganoderma infection the most serious oil palm disease. Till today, research is ongoing to find a cure for this malady that can cause more than 50% of oil palm to be lost under severe situations.
Above all, Carbon Management in palm oil will be an increasingly important agenda for the entire supply chain of the industry. From a producer to an enduser, you will need to equip yourselves with the latest developments on how the industry is bracing for the challenges in climate change and the increasing need to be greener.
