Search

Planters tap Curtin expertise to optimise fertiliser output

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Telegram
Email
File Photo: Local farmer working in village palm oil plantation area in Sabak Bernam of Malaysia.

KUCHING: Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Association (SOPPOA) is working on findings better ways to produce organic fertiliser from empty fruit bunches (EFB).

“In this respect, SOPPOA is initiating a research project with Curtin University Malaysia to find a solution and improve current processes in producing organic fertiliser from EFB that also comply with laws, rules and regulations relevant to the operation,” it said in a statement on Sunday (March 6).

“This project will be a tripartite collaboration between the industry, learning institute and State government,” it added.

Towards this end the association said that integrating the circular economy into the production of palm oil was an effective solution to optimising the usage of by-products.

It disclosed that the three main by-products from the process of extracting oil from fresh fruit bunches (FFB) are palm press fiber (PPF), palm kernel shell (PKS) and EFB.

It said that using the by-products also promotes the reduce, reuse and recycle of by-products that are commonly underutilised in the linear economy.

Sarawak presently has 84 palm oil mills in operation and while almost all recent palm oil mills are built to process FFB ranging from 45 to 120 tonnes per hour, few older palm oil mills with lesser throughput capacity are still in operation.

According to the association, this year the total planted area with oil palm in Sarawak has reached 1.61 million hectares (ha) and the amount of fertiliser required per ha ranges from 1.3 mt to 1.7 mt per annum.

“The organic fertiliser derived from EFB treatment contains a fair amount of nutrients that are proven to perk up soil fertility and improve oil palm tree growth.

“Although techniques available for the production of this organic fertiliser have been extensively experimented and commercialised, there is still huge room for improvement in terms of efficiency, consistency and most importantly environmental aspects.

“If there is an opportunity to substitute 5 per cent to 15 per cent of the existing dosage of fertiliser with local palm-based organic fertiliser derived from EFB, there will be a significant savings in terms of cash outflow as well as minimise environmental issues caused by EFB heap,” it explained.

Download from Apple Store or Play Store.