Yield Improvement & Carbon Management - A Strategic Priority For The Palm Oil Industry

Today Indonesia & Malaysia accounts for more than 80 percent of the world's total palm oil production.

Netherlands, a major palm oil importer recently made a firm stance that by 2015, it will be committed to using only sustainable palm oil.

The green consumer is mounting across the globe, with the recent spotlight on IOI Corp, a waking call to the industry that green palm oil will be here to stay.

April 7 2011 (Reuters) - An industry body for eco-friendly palm oilhas censured Malaysia's second largest palm oil planter, IOI Corp,alleging ithas drained peatlands and felled forests on Borneo island to expand andthat it could face furthersanctions.

The Indonesian government and several global environment think tanks concur that, if cultivation is banned on peatland , there are about 6 million hectares of degraded land that could be used for oil palm expansion. So how do you identify these degraded land ? What methods are available to detect forest activities, disruption to rural communities, forest conversion all in the effort to minimise carbon emissions ?

Breakthroughs on high-yielding planting materials continue to be an important emphasis for palm oil companies to help increase productivity and relieve pressure to extend palm cultivation.

Recent developments like F1 hybrids by Sumatra Bioscience/Lonsum has proven to yield 6-10 times more than conventional varieties increasing the yield per hectare.

Also interest in Interspecific Hybrid - (Oleifera X Guineensis) Blend in Colombia and Breeding programs in Ghana and Cameroon will be discussed at this conference.

Above all, observing Best agricultural practiceswould be key to sustainability. This includes fertiliser & nutrientmanagement,mechanisation and management of theganoderma disease.

Fertiliser not only constitutes the largest cost contributor for a palm oil plantation, but also contributes significant NOX levels to the environment if not managed properly.

Today, there are fertiliser recommendation systems that allow agronomists to ascertain accurately the nutrient balance and fertiliser required for the plantation to ensure sustainable usage.

Ganoderma infection the most serious oil palm disease. Till today, research is ongoing to find a cure for this malady that can cause more than 50% of oil palm to be lost under severe situations.

Above all, Carbon Management in palm oil will be an increasingly important agenda for the entire supply chain of the industry. From a producer to an enduser, you will need to equip yourselves with the latest developments on how the industry is bracing for the challenges in climate change and the increasing need to be greener.

CMT's 3rd Palm Oil Summit is THE EVENT event to attend if you are seeking updates on thefollowing:

• Breakthroughs in High-Yielding Planting Materials and commercialisation of the F1 hybrid
• Sustainable Palm Oil in Colombia, Ghana & Cameroon and recent land grab activities
• Best Agricultural Practices - from high density planting to management of Nutrient, Ganoderma Disease & labour saving practices
• Detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA ) of Palm Oil compared to European RapeSeed and how Palm oil is environmentally preferable to rapeseed oil
• Latest studies on GHG emissions from peatland and how palm oil cultivation can be sustainable on peatland as proven by PT TH Indo Plantations
• Biodiversity and Carbon Management - High conservation value ( HCV ) Assessment, Identifying degraded land for palm oil expansaion
• Palm Oil Waste Management - CapturingMethane to Power, Composting to Bio-Fertiliser, Applying for carbon credits

PLUS you will network with

Palm oil producers - from CEOs, MDs to Plantation Advisors,Agronomists, Scientific Officers,R & D Dept Heads to Sustainability Directors, Millers,Palm Oil Traders, IndependentAgronomy Advisors,Plantation Consultants, IT Solution Providers,Milling Technology, Equipment Suppliers,Fertiliser Companies, Palm Oil Research Institutes, Agriculture Depts,Researchers, Crop Science and Agri Biotech Cos