KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) has called for the wider use of technology to drive the development of the country's palm oil industry.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said industry players need to explore technologies that suit their respective needs, to support the production of high-value products.
"I hope more industry players can explore technologies that suit their respective needs.
"There is technology that assists in harvesting, increases oil extraction rates and mill efficiency, and also supports the production of high-value products," she said at the Malaysian Palm Oil Industry Awards (AISM) 2025/2026 here today.
Noraini said efforts to strengthen the palm oil industry needed to combine the experience of industry players with the expertise of researchers to ensure that the technology developed meet real needs in the field.
She said the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) played a key role in the effort, commercialising over 240 technologies with a potential market value of over RM6 billion.
"At the same time, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) also opens up opportunities to make more accurate decisions and speed up daily operations.
"When technology can be used at an affordable cost, its benefits can be enjoyed more widely by the industry," said Noraini.
AISM 2025/2026 saw 36 winners from 12 categories receive recognition covering the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors, in addition to the Strategic Partner Special Award and the Palm Oil Product Exporter Award.
Meanwhile, MPOB also launched the GeoSAWIT portal, a national geospatial platform that maps and verifies the location and boundaries of oil palm plantations nationwide, covering estates and smallholders.
According to MPOB, the GeoSAWIT portal is important in the effort to digitalise the palm oil industry chain and strengthen transparency, traceability and data-based industry governance.
"GeoSAWIT enables MPOB to obtain more accurate data on the country's palm oil landscape. It can also be used for land use monitoring, risk assessment and supporting market compliance requirements," said MPOB.
-- BERNAMA