The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities has no plan yet to make "sugar palms" or palm trees which produce sugar, as a new commodity source.

Deputy Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin said the government was giving priority to strengthening the development of existing commodities, including oil palm,rubber, pepper, cocoa and timber.

"At the same time, the focus is also on developing new commodity sources embracing kenaf, sago and jatropha," he said in replying to Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh (BN-Putatan) in Parliament Thursday.

Marcus had wanted to know the steps taken by the government in diversifying the plantation and commodities industry and if the country was deriving revenue from sugar palms.

Hamzah said from research undertaken, the nipah tree (Nypa fruticans) which produced nira and "fermented vinegar" as well as the kabung tree (Arenga pinnata) which can produce bioethanol, cannot give a better yield than oil palm.

"However, the government will consider the potential of both in planting on marginal land unsuitable for oil palm," he explained.

He also disclosed that the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is cooperating with the Land Custody and Development Authority Sarawak to develop a different plam species, that is sago, in the state.

Among the downstream products that can be derived are sago flour which can be used to produce value added products such as maltodextrin,sweeteners and bioethanol, he said. THE END

Source: Bernama