Since 1997, the Group has been cooperating with leading and highly reputable oil palm breeding centres in Africa and South America on its oil palm seed breeding program. The program uses the latest breeding technology together with our own highly qualified personnel. The best sources of oil palm germplasm are being developed consisting of various origins with the objective of providing high yielding planting materials. The Group sees the breeding of oil palm seed of high agronomic value, and high yielding as a core strategic initiative to ensure the continued high productivity of its own estates.
The oil palm seed breeding program of the Group is focused on improving the crude palm oil (CPO) yield and quality, together with controlling trunk height growth and producing drought & disease tolerant seeds.
The purpose of the program is for the Group to:
- Be able to control the genetic purity of the seedlings planted, thus ensuring continually improving CPO yields
- Be self-sufficient in terms of oil palm seedlings for its planting purposes;
- Produce additional high yielding oil palm seeds for sale to external parties thus generating additional revenue and profitability for the Group.
Through the Group's advanced agricultural research centres, Sumatra Bioscience (SumBio) in Bah Lias, North Sumatra, and PT SAIN in Pekanbaru, Riau, we have extensive in-house capability in the management of plantations, and a strong R&D heritage in the analysis of soil, plant tissues, fertilisers, palm oil and latex. Our modern laboratories and comprehensive facilities equip us for in-depth research on tissue culture and pathology. The aim is to maximise the productivity and efficiency of seed breeding and cultivation using methodological frameworks for farming operations, ensuring best practices in plantation management.
SumBio has a long history and is well known as a premier oil palm seed producer in Indonesia, commanding the highest price for its seeds in the market. Each year, SumBio produces up to 25 million superior and high-yielding oil palm seeds. PT SAIN produces up to 8 million seeds per year. Since the attainment of an official seed producer certification in 2011, PT SAIN has boosted the Group’s sales capacity by up to 33 million high-quality seeds per annum.
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