Malaysia wasted opportunities to develop biodiesel

Malaysia wasted opportunities to develop biodiesel

Malaysia has been a major player in the palm oil industry for over three
decades, but it has failed to make any breakthrough in the field of
biodiesel energy due to insufficient research.

Economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram said discussions on biodiesel energy - that
can be derived from palm oil - had been ongoing for over 30 years, but
research and development efforts were too modest.

Jomo was speaking at a public lecture organised by the Institute of
Strategic and International Studies (Isis) here yesterday.

According to Jomo, Malaysia had also failed to place a strong enough
foundation to develop biodiesel energy, compared with other countries.

He said countries such as Cuba, Brazil and the United States had enacted
policies to promote biofuels such as bioethanol, derived from sugar cane,
and biodiesel, derived from soybean oil.

In the 1960s, Malaysia shifted from the production of rubber to oil palm
cultivation. It became the main producer of palm oil before it was taken
over by Indonesia.

Jomo said the country would be able to deflect some of the criticisms made
against its palm oil industry if it had successfully promoted palm-oil
derived biodiesel.

"The whole situation could be turned around if Malaysia could show its major
contribution, not only in renewable energy, but also sustainable
development."
Criticism levelled against the palm oil industry usually centres around its
effects on the environment, wildlife and carbon emissions.

International environment organisation Greenpeace, for instance, has spoken
out against forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia, which were carried out for
the purpose of oil palm cultivation.

During a question-and-answer session later, Noah Foundation chairperson
Faridah Abdullah said Jomo's statement was unfair as research required huge
funds.
"And research conducted in universities depend greatly on government grants.

"It's not like in the western countries where big companies allocate big
amounts of money for research."

Jomo agreed with this and questioned the government's decision to cut
allocations for higher educational institutions.

He also agreed with Tan Siok Choo, the chairperson of palm oil plantation
company United Malacca Bhd, who said the government had also let go of an
opportunity to have other bodies provide necessary funds for research
purposes.

She said the government had done this by imposing a "windfall tax" on palm
oil companies that, at one point, had made huge profits from the industry.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Link to Original Article:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/03/02/economist-malays
ia-wasted-opportunities-to-develop-biodiesel/

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com