JOHOR BAHRU, 10 October 2016 – The Institute of Bioproducts Development of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (IBDUTM) has been officially selected by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to organise the MPOB Technical Seminar entitled ‘Introduction to Oil and its Application’.
The main goal of this seminar is to promote the benefits and attributes of palm oil as well as deliver the latest information on Research and Development activities (R & D) as well as the issues being faced by the industry.
IBDUTM Deputy Director, Prof. Dr. Mohamad Roji Sarmidi said the seminar tentative includes eight (8) presentations by the MPOB and UTM, which includes research, development and application of the latest palm oil in order to improve the welfare of the Malaysian palm oil industry.
“Institute of Bioproducts Development (IBD) which has more than 15 years’ experience in the research and development of biological products, particularly products based on herbs and natural resources are very positive towards the development of local palm oil industry with R & D cooperation forged between the two sides.
“There needs to be synergy between centres of excellence for public universities, agencies such as MPOB and the industry to improve the quality and added value to the development of research-based products in order to compete and gain consumer acceptance in the international market,” he said.
As one research entity that is conducting continuous research on Malaysian palm oil, MPOB should ensure that the output of their research activities match its objectives and goes in accordance with market needs.
“To achieve this goal, MPOB has expanded its research network through strategic relationships with the Public University in an effort to further strengthen the synergies between the expertise available as well as agencies such as the Public University of MPOB’s research focus and specialisation in palm oil,” he said.
The palm oil industry in Malaysia is among the commodities which contribute to the national economic revenue sources. With globalization and the uncertain economic situation, the industry has gone through many challenges in maintaining its competitiveness domestically and internationally.
“To enhance the value of the commodity of oil palm, one approach is to diversify the application of palm oil in the form of high-level values in order to attract the attention of consumers and industry.
“It can only be realized through the process of innovation, the development of cutting-edge DNA research in order to provide added value to downstream products such as palm oil,” he said.
The two day seminar was officiated by Mr. Balu s/o Nambiappan, MPOB Director of Economic & Industrial Development. Accompying him was Head of Technical Advisory Services, Fauziah Arshad.