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New Oil Palm Genome Research Aims To Revolutionize Production
We know that palm oil is present in numerous kinds of our food and non-food products. And palm oil plantations are one of the big causes of deforestation. Since our forests are very important for Co2 absorption, we should either lose the palm oil and come with an alternative or come up with a solution to harvest palm oil with higher yields that need less space, to decrease deforestation.
The Malaysian oil palm producer Sime Darby Plantation decided to publish its oil palm genome, hoping for a revolution. In June, the company announced that after extensive research, their “GenomeSelectTM” showed 20% increase in yield compared to the company’s previously available planting materials. "Our ambition is to halt deforestation in the palm oil industry and that requires us to innovate and find new ways to work" |
