PTPN IV Plantation Achieve Innovation Award

MEDAN: PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) IV field plantation innovation award from the Ministry of Agriculture, as judged capable of performing a variety of breakthroughs that spur value-added.

"We do not know when assessed and the criteria applied. All of a sudden invitation to come to accept the innovation award plantation. We're the only state-owned plantations who get the award, "said President Director of PTPN IV Medan Harahap Dahlan told Bisnis yesterday.

According to him, quietly turns the Department of Agriculture following the progress made in that PTPN IV during the last 3 years, namely conduct applied research and develop a number of industries using materials from palm oil.

He said PTPN IV are the pioneers to build power plants that use raw materials of oil palm shell in Garden Pabatu, Bedagai Serdang regency, North Sumatra. Then, he continued, PTPN IV also is operating the compost plant of empty fruit bunches to produce compost a day.

"The construction industry by using waste oil palm, it is a sustainable plantation development step and go green," he said.

Planning and Development Director of PTPN IV Achmad Haslan Saragih added in addition to using empty fruit bunches and shells that become waste, PTPN IV also succeeded in developing power generation from liquid waste.

"We do the research by capturing methane gas from liquid waste. Then the methane gas used as electrical energy generation. We are building two units of power plants using methane gas that each generate three megawatts of power, "he said.

Then, he said, PTPN IV succeeded in developing an early detection technology genoderma disease who have attacked oil palm plantations third and fourth generation. Malaysia itself, he said, has not been able to overcome the deadly disease palm it slowly. Malaysia, he said, able to know genoderma after advanced-stage disease.

PTPN IV, he said, was able to develop detection technology genoderma with genosit name. This first generation technology, explained the former Marketing Director of PTPN III Medan, genoderma able to detect disease early, so it can be addressed from the outset.

In addition, he said, PTPN IV also been successfully separated betacarotene (provitamin A) from palm oil for biodiesel used as raw material for pharmaceuticals.

"Extracting oil obtained betacarotene 200-300 ppm [part per million] of every pound of crude palm oil. One kilogram of betacarotene Rp6 million worth sold. We're trying to obtain a license from the Institute for Food and Drug Administration, "he said.

According to him, palm oil biodiesel used as a cleaner and not heavy because of the inherent betacarotene has been taken.

Then, he said, PTPN IV in cooperation with the Centre for Oil Palm Research (PPKS) Medan is being tested solid cooking oil (frying sortening) who are now testing the market in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Medan.

By                    : Dahlan Harahap (Director PTPN iv)

Source              : Bisnis Indonesia

Translated         : Using google Translater facilities