Kota Kinabalu: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has signed a research agreement on regenerative agriculture and biodiversity with a local fertiliser company to strengthen its educational platform of eco-farm agriculture.
UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur believed the collaboration with Yun Fung Sang Group would encourage the involvement of local parties in agriculture and create space for research activities in oil palm and other agricultural fields.
“Agricultural education is crucial for Malaysia’s agricultural sector to leverage technology and innovation to enhance productivity and competitiveness of the downstream oil palm sector,” he said at the signing ceremony held in UMS.
Through the agreement, both parties agree to cooperate to achieve output involving publications and research seminars related to fertilisers, palm oil production and biodiversity in palm plantations.
It will also involve the exchange of human resources and expertise in the specified fields, including producing trade secrets and trademarks of research results.
The agreement will increase the visibility and strength of UMS in the community through collaboration with the palm oil industry and other related industries, he said.
In addition, he said, both parties will cooperate in establishing the Chair of Regenerative Agriculture and Biodiversity to strengthen the palm oil industry, especially in improving the health of agricultural lands and conservation of agrobiodiversity.
The project will involve the application of additional trace elements to soils to improve oil palm yield, soil health and soil fauna diversity in a 12-hectare oil palm plantation in Gum-Gum, Miles 16 Sandakan.
The project will also help palm oil farmers consider the three key factors: people, planet and profit.
The research team involves a number of experts and researchers, namely associate professor Dr Suzan Benedick (entomology and biodiversity), Dr Clament Chin Fui Seung (microbiology and biotechnology), Dr Januarius Gobilik (multi- and cross-disciplinary agronomy) and Dr Salumiah Mijin (horticulture and soil nutrition).
Suzan, the lead researcher, stated the project’s goal is to improve soil nutrient management in the palm oil agroecosystem by providing better information and advice to palm oil farmers, focusing on sustainability indicators such as soil trace element enrichment and cost-effectiveness.
Yun Fung director Steve Lee said he would work to strengthen the agricultural sector, especially the palm oil sector, to achieve the policy goals of the Sabah Government’s initiative to make the State a global leader in the sustainable palm oil industry.
The project has been implemented in 2022, involving a contribution over a five-year period from Yun Fung and its participating subsidiaries – Baja Harapan Group, Kang Ke Palm and Agri Business Consultancy.
