To strengthen its educational platform for eco-farm agriculture, UMS has signed a research agreement on regenerative agriculture and biodiversity with a local fertiliser company.
To strengthen its platform of education for agricultural eco-farm, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has signed a research agreement on regenerative agriculture and biodiversity with a local fertiliser company.
At the signing ceremony held at UMS, he declared, “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.”
Vice Chancellor of UMS Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Mansur thought that working with Yun Fung Sang Group would promote local participation in agriculture and open up opportunities for research in oil palm and other agricultural fields.
By signing the agreement, both parties acknowledge their commitment to working together to produce publications and research seminars on fertilisers, palm oil production, and biodiversity in palm plantations.
Along with producing trade secrets and trademarks of research results, it will also involve the exchange of human resources and expertise in the relevant fields.
Through cooperation with the palm oil industry and other related industries, the agreement will, according to him, increase UMS’s strength and visibility in the community.
In order to strengthen the palm oil industry, particularly in terms of enhancing the health of agricultural lands and conserving agrobiodiversity, he added that both parties will work together to establish the Chair of Regenerative Agriculture and Biodiversity.
In order to increase 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 involve adding additional trace elements to the soils.
The project will also assist palm oil farmers in taking into account the three crucial factors of profit, planet, and people.
Numerous experts and researchers are part of the research team, including Dr. Suzan Benedick, an associate professor of entomology and biodiversity; Dr. Clament Chin Fui Seung, a doctor of microbiology and biotechnology, Dr. Januarius Gobilik, a doctor of multi- and cross-disciplinary agronomy; and Dr. Salumiah Mijin (horticulture and soil nutrition).
According to Suzan, the project’s lead researcher, it aims to improve soil nutrient management in the palm oil agroecosystem by giving palm oil farmers better knowledge and guidance, with a focus on sustainability indicators like soil trace element enrichment and cost-effectiveness.
In order to realise the policy objectives of the Sabah government’s initiative to make the state a global leader in the sustainable palm oil industry, Yun Fung director Steve Lee said he would work to strengthen the agricultural sector, particularly the palm oil sector.
A contribution over a five-year period was made to the project in 2022 by Yun Fung and its participating subsidiaries, Baja Harapan Group, Kang Ke Palm, and Agri Business Consultancy.