Use helicopters to handle bagworm threat - DPM Fadillah

ROMPIN: The Malaysian Palm Oil Board's (MPOB) use of helicopters to spray bio-pesticides to control bagworm infestations in oil palm plantations have managed to tackle the problem that causes RM100 million in losses annually, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.

The Plantations and Commodities Minister said that the helicopters, run by Altus Aviation Services Sdn Bhd, have been used instead of drones since 2017. Planes were used previously since aerial spraying began in 2009.

"Helicopters can cover a wider area to effectively control the breeding of bagworm that affect the production and productivity of oil palm and is also more cost effective.

"More importantly, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) based pesticides used are environmentally friendly and a product of MPOB technology," he said at a media conference after the groundbreaking ceremony of a smart oil palm factory at the Malaysian Oil Palm Training Centre (PLASMA), Keratong MPOB research station, with MPOB chairman Datuk Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha and MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir in attendance.

The success in reducing the bagworm population is also the result of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) developed by MPOB, Fadillah said, citing an example where bagworm infestations dropped from 19,000 hectares to 4,000 hectares in Johor, while Perak recorded a 95 per cent drop in population.

He added that MPOB would continue to monitor and control the situation and provide advisory services to estates and smallholders.

The government has also allocated RM12.4 million for five years beginning 2018 to reduce the pest's population.

Meanwhile Fadillah said the smart factory would be completed by the end of next year and begin operations in 2025, with a capacity to process 30 tons of fresh oil palm fruit an hour.

The factory developed as part of the cooperation between MPOB and Fusionex Group will use the Industrial Revolution 4.0 approach, including zero discharge as part of its environmental sustainability efforts.

-- BERNAMA