Sedia eyes tea tree as commercial crop
Published on: Wednesday, February 08, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: The tea tree commercialisation project at the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority's (Sedia) Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct (Saip) is set to assist the State to delve into new economic ventures.Sedia Chief Executive Datuk Dr Mohd Yaakub Johari said the project aims to develop a complete localisation of technology to successfully develop tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) as a commercial crop in Sabah. "The protocol and expertise acquired via this project would help the State venture into new industries in Sabah such as essential oil from the State's rich biodiversity resources," he said during a visit by Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau at Saip, in Kimanis, Papar, on Monday.
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Yaakub said the Saip project had received early funding from Mosti which had allowed for the development of a biotech satellite initiative, a tea tree commercialisation project, as well as an Herbal Medicine Knowledge Base (HMKB). "The biotech satellite initiative had run two research studies – investigating and identifying microbial community succession of dairy and poultry manure and also analysing the effect of four locally-made composts on the asiaticoside content in cultivated 'pegaga'."He said, the HMKB project utilises semantic technology, allowing relationships and links between concepts to be formed within the knowledge base, and provides a service of identifying traditional herbal medicine for ideas on new drugs or treatments.Apart from the briefing given to Tangau by Saip officials, he also presented letters of approval to the recipients of funds under the Sedia Bumiputera SME incubator programme for capacity building and business financing of bumiputera entrepreneurs.
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According to Yaakub, the incubation programme is designed to encourage the creation of new entrepreneurs especially in knowledge-intensive sectors to create greater awareness on business opportunities as well as facilitate access to business support and shared services.Located at Kimanis with an estimated area of 215 acres, Saip is envisaged to become a new centre of excellence in agro-biotechnology that optimises the State's biodiversity and abundant natural resources to produce higher value-added food and specialty products based on botanicals, aquatic plants and animals.
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As one of the Entry Point Projects (EPPs) under the Sabah Development Corridor, Saip will serve as a test-bed for carrying out biotech-driven research and development (R&D) and to develop biotech-driven businesses. Unlike other existing science and technology parks (STP) in other states in Malaysia, SAIP has a distinct focus on Specialty Natural Products (SNP), agro-biotech and health food products.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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