Sime Darby Plantation Managing Director Datuk Franki Anthony Dass
stresses that R&D plays a critical role in the future of the palm oil industry. The breakthrough Sime Darby had with Genome Select means the new palms will be able to produce yields of about 11 tonnes oil yield per hectare using the same land. This is in line with the move towards more effective use of land, further reducing the need to expand agricultural land to cultivate more oil palm. The company’s R&D team is also shifting its focus to the downstream business, looking at specialty products and creating palm oil-based super food. “Palm oil-based foods will have various elements of health including anti-obesity and longevity. No other oil can match palm oil in its nutritional value,” he says. Palm oil is a rich source of antioxidants, including vitamin E such as tocotrienols, and carotenoids including beta-carotene and lycopene.
