News at Home
Agriculture
An alternative to the tobacco plant might just be the trick in changing the fortunes of tobacco farmers in Kelantan as its introduction might allow it to rise in status as the country’s next golden crop. The kenaf plant, a member of the hibiscus family, is being promoted by authorities as an alternative to tobacco. It can also be used as high protein animal feed while its fiber and woody core may be processed into pulp and paper, biocomposites for automotive door trimmings, interior shelving and building material. Kelantan currently has the highest number of kenaf growers with 350ha under cultivation under the auspices of LTN.
  
 
The public have long known Sabah for its sweet pineapples. This has recently been confirmed by researchers, with pineapples from southwestern Sabah’s Beaufort district being the sweetest of them all. The findings are the results of a five year study program by researchers at University Malaysia Sabah’s Biotech Research Institute. According to the researchers, the Smooth Cayenne pineapple has a sucrose content of 26% Brix compared to the commercial Josapine pineapple, and is shown to be the sweetest compared to any other variety across the world.
 
Destroy the trees. That was the advice provided by the Johor Agriculture Department as an effective method in eradicating the papaya ring spot virus (PRSV) and the die-back bacteria. According to the agency’s director, Adnan Mat Kasim, after the trees are cut, no replanting should be allowed in following six months. The PRSV is one of the greatest threats to papaya cultivation in the country and has some 50 big papaya farms reporting losses of up to millions of ringgit due to the poor harvest that followed.
               
Medical & Environment
Mosses may not be an extremely engaging neither commonly discussed topic, even among scientists, but there is more than meets the eye. Recently, at the World Conference of Bryology, the spotlight has been set upon this common and lowly organism. The conference had researchers present many findings of great scientific importance. For example, it was shown by researchers from the University Malaya Biological Science Institute that one square meter of a moss species in Genting Highlands has the capacity of storing one metric ton of water for a week. Other findings include anti-cancer, anti-bacterial properties in mosses, as well as the diversity of mosses found on Mount Kinabalu in Sabah.
Investment
 

Synergy Drive, a huge plantations-based company, is expected to save up to RM500 million a year with its impending merger of plantation properties and other businesses in July 2009. The merger will then make Synergy Drive the world’s largest listed palm oil company as well as a world leader in plantations and properties, accounting to up to 8% of the global output, 2.2 million tons of crude palm oil per year, and have a total of 560,000 ha of plantation land in the region. The company is projecting a pro forma profit of RM2.7 billion with revenue of RM26 billion based on results from the 2006 financial year. The merger will also make the company the second largest listing in the Bursa.
 
A joint venture between Sime Darby Bhd and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences will see the setting up of a RM35 million Seeds Research and Development Center in Perlis. The project would see both partners identifying suitable technology to develop improved seed and agricultural production systems for Malaysia and other markets and would be set up on an 80-ha piece of land in Kampung Surau, Utan Aji, Kangar. The center would also use biotechnology to produce seed varieties that have higher yield and that are more suitable for the soil and climate, as well as having better resistance for pests and diseases.
More news on biodiesel, Carotech Bhd. is expected to operate with a four-fold increase within the next few months, and would be viable despite speculation of losses due to the high crude palm oil prices. The prohibitive prices of over RM2,500 per ton may cause some plants to incur losses, but Carotech’s processes allow them to produce other products from crude methyl esters, like vitamins A and E. On the other hand, Malaysia will gain a new player in the biodiesel field as Australia’s Mission Biofuels Ltd is to start biodiesel production in its plant near Kuantan port this month.
Policy
Palm oil exports are expected to rise by 10% and pass RM35 billion, supported by increased palm oil prices of late. Palm oil exports during the first half of the year reached RM17.43 million, with top ten buyers being China, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the US, Japan, India, Singapore, the UAE, South Africa and South Korea. There is a shortfall by 600,000 tons at the first half of the year as the country has produced 6.7 million tones of CPO, down by 8% in comparison to the same time last year.
The soon to be launched Northern Corridor Economic Region programme looks set to allow 63,000 farmers benefit by introducing estate farming in all 96,000 ha of padi fields in Kedah and Perlis. The program is anticipated to boost the livelihood of farmers to 10 tons, in comparison to the current average of 4 to 6 tons per ha. The NCER, covering Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak, is one of the economic regions identified under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
 
 
In other news, a government initiative to set-up a tissue culture laboratory in the southern region will see Johor Plant Tech Sdn Bhd cooperating with UPM, UM and FRIM in establishing a RM4 million lab with the capacity to produce four million plantlets every year for three years before increasing the yearly capacity to 12 million on the fourth year. According to Johor Plant Tech CEO, Datuk Abdul Karim Hassan, Johor Plant Tech will depend on commercially viable products based on local research.