Research

Mushroom cultivation

In commercial mushroom cultivation it is general practice to provide a lower layer of compost which is covered by a layer of a material referred to as casing soil.  It is important in mushroom cultivation that the casing soil assists in maintaining a desirable moisture level for mushroom growth.  It should also maintain a desirable carbon dioxide and oxygen ratio.  Further the casing soil should maintain the nutrient balance of the compost and also act as a barrier to disease and insect pests. Read more...

Palm oil as bio-diesel

The Malaysian government is refocusing the use of palm oil to the production of bio-diesel to cater for the huge demands from European countries; it has encouraged the building of bio-diesel plants. This is due to the higher prices of fuel and increasing demand for alternative sources of energy in the Western world. The plants which, will start operating in the middle of next year and produce 100,000 tonnes of bio-diesel annually. Strong demand for bio-diesel from Europe as well as Colombia, India, South Korea and Turkey was fuelling the industry's growth, as more countries sought to reduce their reliance on oil. Read more...

Sustainable palm oil production in Malaysia

A top level team of experts was assembled by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) to descend on London last week (May 18th, 2006) for a symposium on Sustainable Resource Development. This was in response to adverse but unsubstantiated statements published in various London-based print-media. The misinformation was generated by NGOs who have in the past claimed that the destruction of rainforests in Malaysia is due to the expansion of oil palm and such activities allegedly lead to endangering the existence of some species of flora and fauna. Read more...

Feeding the world sustainably with palm oil

The world population is forecast to reach 8.9 billion by 2050, an increase of 2.8 billion from today. Can these people be fed? Yes, by intensive agriculture (but not subsistence agriculture). Over the last 40 years, food supplies have risen faster than population, without much increase in cultivated area, as a result of more intensive agriculture. Read more ...

The roundtable on sustainable palm oil

The rapidly increasing demand for vegetable oils as both food and latterly as fuel is expected to increase the social and environmental impact on producing countries worldwide. A global multi-stakeholder initiative on sustainable palm oil which came in the wake of a global call for more sustainable development and land use of the earth’s resources, was established on April 8 under Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code as the "Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil" (RSPO). Read more...