AGRIBUSINESS Ecologically friendly and high-yielding, palm oil is a cornerstone of the economy
Owl watch protects valuable crop

HARON SIRAJ, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council, says no to genetic modification

here can be few crops that are protected by owls, but in Malaysia oil palm plantations regularly employ their services and build bird houses to shelter them. “The owls eat the rats which disturb the plants,” says Haron Siraj, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council.
Mr Siraj has reason to protect the palms – the palm oil industry is the country’s third largest export earner after petroleum and timber. About 90 per cent of Malaysia’s palm oil production, of more than eight million tonnes, is exported to some 90 countries. The industry employs about 350,000 workers and it is a major element in the government’s agricultural and industrial development plans.
The oil palm is the world’s most productive oil-producing plant and in Malaysia each hectare yields about five tonnes.

Grown in a beautiful natural environment

Palm oil is derived from the plant’s mesocarp, the fleshy layer of the fruit, and most of it is used in foodstuffs, including fats and oil for cooking, bakery shortening, cocoa butter equivalents, margarine, dairy products and confectionery.
It should be distinguished from palm kernel oil, derived from the fruit kernel, which is used in soap, cosmetics and other personal care products. Oleo-chemicals, derived from palm kernel oil, have a wide range of applications, one of the most promising being bio-fuel.
Palm oil contains an equal proportion of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and in its refined state it is a rich source of vitamin E. As a result of its low cholesterol content, it is also increasingly being recognised as one of the healthiest of edible oils.
Mr Siraj also stresses the environmental benefits of oil palm plantations. Although there is an enormous amount of research worldwide into improving yields and finding new applications for palm oil, “for the moment, it is free from genetic manipulation”, he says. “We have not done anything to mess around with the genes, I can assure you of that.”

He responds politely but firmly to the criticism that tropical forest is being cleared to make way for oil palm plantations. First of all, it is not true that thousands of forest hectares are being cleared to make way for oil palms. Where forest has already been cleared it is often secondary growth forest, and the plantations that replace it are sustainable, and no pesticides or fertilisers are used.
“We are very environmentally friendly,” says Mr Siraj. “In Europe, you have lost most of your forests and only 10-15 per cent of your land is forested. But in Malaysia we still have 60 per cent of our land covered with natural forest.”
Mr Siraj says there is potential to obtain up to 10 tonnes of palm oil per hectare. This compares with half a tonne of rapeseed oil.
Proctor & Gamble is one foreign company involved in the industry and more are welcomed. “Why not come and set up a bio-diesel plant here?” he suggests. “We can export a branded fuel to Thailand, which is energy hungry.”