Kim Loong's RM10m R&D boost for downstream business (5027)

KUALA LUMPUR: Plantation company, Kim Loong Resources Bhd, has allocated about RM10 million for research and development (R&D) to drive its downstream business forward.
Its
executive chairman, Gooi Seong Lim, said on Friday that considering the
high land prices, the group would not be actively looking to expand its
landbank.
Nevertheless, he said, the company has set aside fund for land acquisition if the opportunity arose.
"We
aim to make this business sustainable by shifting our focus on the
downstream sector to make something useful from the palm oil waste,
such as developing our biogas power generator and other uses of
biomass," he said after the AGM.
Gooi said the group was eyeing
something more higher-end, such as cellulose fibre, which could be used
to make paper and fabrics.
The group has 4,000 hectares in Sarawak which had yet to be utilised due to a court case involving the natives there, he said.
"We do not dare to go there yet. We are waiting for the case to be resolved, which is expected by year-end," he said.
Meanwhile, the group's unit, Palm Nutraceutical Sdn Bhd,
has been busy with the development of a new process to extract
high-quality tocotrienol concentrate, a type of Vitamin E, from crude
palm oil.
Palm Nutraceutical executive director, Dr Gee Ping Tou, said the process has been delayed due to drastic changes in scientific data of Vitamin E in the last two to three years.
"We
expect to launch the tocotrienol by year-end, under the product name of
'e-Life Gold'. We are now evaluating the marketing approach available,
either through medical professional, pharmacy chain or the public," he
said.
The prospect of tocotrienol is enormous due to its
multiple therapeutic properties, including anti-cancer, prevention of
cardiovascular diseases and neuro-protection properties. - Bernama