PKPS Opens 335 Hectare Oil Palm Plantation

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SHAH ALAM, 14 Oct: The Selangor State Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS) has opened a 335 hectare oil palm plantation which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim recently.

The Jelutong Jati PKPS Plantation was initiated after the State Government gazetted the Sungai Karang Forest Reserve in May 2012, with 21-year lease.

According to the PKPS Group General Manager, Ali Ahmad, despite the project initially receiving objections from environmental NGOs, since it involves the forest reserve, the 10,700 acres of land was actually reserved for a PERHILITAN (forestry and wildlife protection department) Forest the area nearby.

In addition, NGOs also objected because this area can easily catch fire.

“PKPS policy is to manage water, not channel water. Each palm tree requires 90 litres of water daily. It is impossible for us to drain all the water. We focus on saving water.

“We have drains and sluices. In this area, we have the Jalang sluice heading to Sungai Besar which will control the water level. We will make sure the water level is not low. We will control by government road culverts,” he said at a briefing session.

In effort to address the occurrence of fire, PKPS has established a PKPS Rapid Fire Team which will receive training from the fire department in addition to placing workers on the oil palm plantation.

In addition to that, PKPS intends to build an oil palm mill in the same area with a capacity of 30 tonnes per hour in 2014 which will begin operations in 2016.

It was informed that PKPS plans to build a chicken coop in Ulu Tinggi and a slaughterhouse in Rawang.

He added that if this effort is successful, small-time farmers and residents in the Sabak Bernam area will benefit from employment opportunities.


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