News Straits Times Press, 31 January, 2006

Oil palm cloning to boost settlers' income

SEREMBAN: The Federal Land Development Authority’s (Felda’s) new RM25 million biotechnology centre, the largest in Southeast Asia, will boost productivity in its plantations and raise the income of its settlers, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.

Najib said the 12,500 square metre facility in Bandar Enstek would specialise in cloning technology and aim primarily at bolstering the yield of Felda’s oil palm trees and other crops.

The centre will be Malaysia’s largest producer of ramets (oil palm seedlings) via tissue culture.

"Felda aims to produce one million ramets by 2010, and later on, reach a maximum capacity of three million ramets," Najib told reporters after opening the centre yesterday.

Felda is the largest producer of ramets in the country, commanding a 30 per cent market share.

It supplies to other plantation companies whose plantations span over 5,000ha.

The centre is a culmination of Felda’s research and development (R&D) activities over the past four decades.

It will also undertake R&D on Tongkat Ali, medicinal plants, herbs and bananas.

Najib said Felda could take pride in the fact that all of the centre’s 120 scientists were Malaysian, adding that there were plans to hire 80 more.

Earlier in Putrajaya, Najib said state governments would soon standardise their regulations relating to mineral extractions, including the rate of royalties.

Based on last year’s output of minerals from seven states, over RM19 million in royalties was collected.

However, he said despite the existence of the State Mineral Enactment, most states were not enforcing the regulation.

Najib said the country’s rich mineral deposits could contribute immensely to its development.

These deposits include some RM3.2 billion worth of gold, RM1.3 billion worth of copper and RM3.9 billion of aggregate stones.