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Research & Development Print ThisPrint this page

The Plantation Division operates two oil palm R&D centres – SumBio in Bah Lias, North Sumatra, and PT SAIN in Pekanbaru, Riau. Both centres are certified palm seed producers whose premium seeds are highly demanded by oil palm producers for their high-yielding, disease-resistant and drought-tolerant qualities. The R&D centres are operated by a professional team of agronomists and researchers that conduct extensive R&D in various areas, including crop yield, crop resilience, pest and disease control and estate management practices. The Division also runs an R&D facility for sugar cane in South Sumatra.

Besides developing premium seeds, the R&D centres also look for ways to make more productive and sustainable use of limited land resources. We have been instrumental in developing many useful innovations that have contributed to sustainable oil palm in Indonesia, and IndoAgri's long term competitiveness as an integrated agribusiness. These included block-base farming, soil conservation using Vetiver systems, and recycling by-products like EFB and POME into soil mulch and nutrient substitutes.

The Group's R&D efforts cover:

OIL PALM SEED BREEDING

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 oil palm seed breeding program of the Group is focused on improving the CPO yield and quality, together with controlling trunk height growth and producing drought & disease tolerant seeds.

PURPOSES OF THE PROGRAM

A
Be able to control the genetic purity of the seedlings planted, thus ensuring continually improving CPO yields
B
Be self-sufficient in terms of oil palm seedlings for its planting purposes
C
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.

In a move to grow our market share, two new high-yielding varieties were launched in 2015. These new varieties demonstrate the continuous improvement from our advanced breeding programmes, leading to higher yielding and disease tolerant varieties. To manage the risks posed by counterfeit seed distributors, SumBio has a process to authenticate and tag its seed products using ultraviolet (UV) printing technology.

Seed Breeding
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