GREAT AGRO HAS HIGH HOPES FOR STEAMLESS PALM-OIL EXTRACTOR

       Great Agro launches steamless palm-oil extraction to serve the government's policy of boosting alternative-energy production, Great Agro has launched the Steamless Palm Oil Extracting System, targeting small-scale oil-palm growers in regions outside the South who produce palm oil for use in biodiesel.
       The system is design as a prototype for use in sustainable development, and uses technology that has been applied in Malaysia and Indonesia.
       The 'steamless' system is targeted at small-scale growers with plantation areas of between 1,000 and 3,000 rai. Having extracting machines at their plants will allow growers to achieve high-quality palm oil and reduce transportation costs, Great Agro claims.
       Nared Chininmanu, deputy managing director, said the system also provided consumers with high biodiesel quality at lower cost.
       "We want oil-palm growers in other regions under the government's promotional area to have their own crunching systems at their plantations.
       "So far, only big palm-oil producers in the South have set up extracting machines," he said.
       Extraction is an important upstream process in the palm-oil production and processing chain, playing a key role in increasing the value of oil-palm products.
       Using steam in the palm-oil production process causes decreased quality of crude palm oil and has a negative environmental impact due to the wastewater released.
       The government has promoted the utilisation of biofuel in industrial sectors, in particular transportation, and demand for palm oil in biodiesel production is increasing.
       The extraction system was developed jointly by the company and the National Metal and Materials Technology Centre.
       The initial focus will be on the domestic market, and exports are planned once patent registration is approved.
       Targeted export markets include Malaysia and Indonesia.
       Nared said farmers would enjoy a higher yield of palm oil as the company's technology has generated 22 per cent of oil yield, compared with 17 per cent from steam machines.
       Last week, the company launched the technology with a target to sell 10 systems this year at Bt4.5 million each.
       Under the government's plan to promote biodiesel consumption, between 300,000 and 400,000 rai of oil palm have been planted since 2006.
       The government targets 6 million rai of oil-palm plantations nationwide by 2010.