Govt urged to take initiatives for growth
It is time for the government to lead the development of the oil-palm business, as shortcomings remain even though the country is the pioneer in renewable energy, industry proponents said yesterday.
"Although Thailand is the third-largest oil-palm grower in this region behind Indonesia and Malaysia, it is the first country in this region to convert oil palm into palm oil and use it as renewable energy," said Sanin Triyanont, chairman of the Biodiesel Manufacturers Association.
"Thailand is the leader in this field and this is our strength. This industry is important and needs the support of the government," he said.
Oil-palm farmers and palm-oil producers have up to now developed and grown their businesses on their own, without the backing of past governments. Without direction, the growth of both businesses will be stunted. They need integrated support from the government in order to prosper, he said.
Thailand should think about expanding oil-palm cultivation, as the products from the plant can be used in many industries such as food, cosmetics and energy.
Indonesia, in comparison, expands its oil-palm plantation area by 1.8 million hectares per year, equivalent to six football fields every a minute, he added.
Wiwan Boonyaprateeprat, secretary-general of the Thai Oil Palm and Palm Association, said improvement in palm-oil yields and palm-oil content, as well as expensive imported fertiliser, were the main issues to be addressed if Thailand wants to develop both businesses.
Oil palm in past years was the commercial crop of the South, but now it can be grown in many parts of the nation, covering 42 provinces. So, it is important for the government to devise a strategic plan for such a kind of economic plant, he said.
Thailand has 4.2 million rai of oil-palm plantations, of which 3.7 million rai are productive. The output of oil palm is 9.2 million tonnes per year, while crude palm oil output is 1.5 million litres per year.
Asanee Mallamphut, chairman of the Palm Oil Refinery Association, said domestic palm-oil consumption was only 10 kilograms per head per year, far short of 26kg in the US, so there was room to increase consumption of such oil in order to replace oil from animals.
The oil palm and palm-oil-related agencies in Thailand will organise PALMEX Thailand from September 8-10 at Impact Muang Thong Thani. This is the first time the industry will be hosting the exhibition, as the organisations are convinced that the oil palm and palm-oil businesses hold promise for further development. After all, not only is palm oil a consumer product but also a fuel.
