Dabeeo Signs MOU for Monitoring Palm Oil Plantation in Malaysia

Seoul, South Korea (ANTARA/Business Wire) - Dabeeo Inc., a geospatial information technology company based on AI, has announced its plan to introduce AI analysis technology using ultra-precision (30cm-level) satellite images to monitor palm tree plantations in Malaysia.

Dabeeo concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saba Legend, a Malaysian GIS company, on April 28, 2023, with the aim of periodically monitoring the health of trees and promptly identifying undernourished palm trees through technical collaboration.

The palm oil plantation that has corporated with Saba Legend covers an area of about 300km2, the size of about 42,000 football fields. The two companies will jointly seek opportunities to explore precision farming in order to save the time and cost spent for managing a large-scale farm by leveraging Dabeeo’s AI technology.

Dabeeo previously conducted an analysis of certain plantation areas by using a specific band (Red-NIR) of satellite images to derive NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), a representative indicator of vegetation status.

Based on this experience, Dabeeo aims to use its AI analysis technology in future collaboration to analyze the vegetation indices of palm trees based on 30 centimeter level ultra-precise satellite images at regular intervals, visualize the related data, and deliver it to the farm, contributing to the operations of palm oil plantations.

Mohamed Ishaber Hassan, CEO of Saba Legend, said, “Managing and monitoring a large palm oil farm requires a great amount of labor and time. We are very optimistic with Dabeeo corporations, given that Sabah is a land mass state in Malaysia where 68% is covered with forest. The efficient management using Dabeeo’s technology and satellite images will be highly conducive to the management of palm oil productivity. We hope that it can also lead to further discussions for the carbon markets.”

At the MOU ceremony, Dabeeo’s Vice President Victor Choi commented, “Dabeeo’s AI technology can realize its full potential when using satellite images in various manners, such as identifying different types of trees in Saba. Through this agreement, we hope to establish a good case in which Dabeeo’s technology is successfully used in the vegetation environment field.”

PEMERINTAH DUKUNG TEKNOLOGI PENGOLAHAN SAWIT, PENGEMBANGAN SDM

GOVT SUPPORTING PALM PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY, HR DEVELOPMENT

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Pemerintah Indonesia mendukung pengembangan teknologi dan sumber daya manusia di pabrik pengolahan kelapa sawit.

Selama seratus tahun, teknologi pengolahan kelapa sawit tidak mengalami perubahan, dan fokus utamanya adalah produksi lemak, demikian yang diungkapkan oleh Direktur Jenderal Industri Agro Kementerian Perindustrian, Putu Juli Ardika, dalam pernyataan tertulis yang diterima di sini pada hari Rabu. “Sekarang, kondisinya berubah. (Pengolahan kelapa sawit) tidak lagi hanya untuk makanan, tetapi juga untuk bahan bakar di masa depan, baik itu untuk biodiesel hijau, bahan bakar jet hijau, bensin hijau, yang dapat segera diadopsi untuk menggantikan bahan bakar berbasis fosil,” katanya. Generasi masa depan akan hidup di dunia yang sangat didukung oleh bahan bakar yang dihasilkan dari kelapa sawit, seperti biofuel, biopolimer, dan biomassa oleh karena itu, Kementerian Perindustrian sangat mendukung pengembangan teknologi pengolahan kelapa sawit, katanya.

Salah satu bentuk dukungan tersebut melibatkan perubahan Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 1 tentang devisa ekspor, jelasnya. Peraturan tersebut menyatakan bahwa devisa harus tersedia di Indonesia dalam jangka waktu tertentu agar dapat digunakan untuk pengembangan teknologi dan komersialisasi. Ardika juga menyebutkan dukungan lainnya, termasuk pembentukan Standar Nasional Indonesia (SNI) untuk minyak kelapa sawit mentah dan minyak goreng kelapa sawit. Untuk mengembangkan industri apapun, sumber daya manusia yang kompeten diperlukan, tambahnya. Untuk memastikan hal ini, kementerian telah mengeluarkan Standar Kompetensi Kerja Nasional untuk industri seperti minyak kelapa sawit mentah (CPO), minyak goreng kelapa sawit, oleokimia, dan biodiesel. Standar tersebut mencakup keahlian mulai dari aspek operasional hingga manajemen. Institusi pendidikan di bawah kementerian telah mendapatkan akreditasi untuk mengeluarkan sertifikasi standar kerja profesional.

Kementerian telah meminta Badan Pengelola Dana Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit Nasional (BPDPKS) untuk mengalokasikan dana beasiswa bagi mahasiswa yang mengikuti institusi pendidikan kementerian tersebut guna memenuhi permintaan seribu pekerja setiap tahun di industri pengolahan kelapa sawit. Seorang anggota penelitian dan pengembangan di BPDPKS, Jenny Elisabeth, menekankan perlunya perusahaan pengolahan kelapa sawit untuk menghasilkan minyak kelapa sawit mentah yang memenuhi standar kualitas guna memastikan daya saing industri. Pernyataan tersebut disampaikannya saat acara “Technology & Talent Palm Oil Conference and Exhibition” yang diselenggarakan oleh Asosiasi Nasional Profesional dan Praktisi Perkebunan pada hari Selasa (7 Maret 2023). “Demand pasar yang terus meningkat terhadap kualitas produk olahan harus dipenuhi oleh perusahaan pengolahan kelapa sawit dengan menghasilkan CPO berkualitas tinggi. Mulai dari perkebunan, pengolahan kelapa sawit, hingga transportasi CPO, semuanya harus dijaga (kualitas yang baik),” ujarnya.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Government is supporting the development of technology and human resources at palm processing factories.

For as long as one hundred years, the palm processing technology has remained unchanged, and it has mainly focused on fat production, Director General of Agro Industry at the Industry Ministry Putu Juli Ardika highlighted in a written statement received here on Wednesday. “Now, the condition has changed. (Palm processing) is no longer only for food, but also for fuel in the future, whether it is for green biodiesel, green jet fuel, green gasoline, which can be adopted right away to replace fossil-based fuel,” he informed. The future generation will live in a world that is greatly powered by fuel generated from palm, such as biofuel, biopolymer, and biomass therefore, the Industry Ministry is showing great support for the development of palm processing technology, he said.

One such support has involved the amendment of Government Regulation Number 1 on export foreign exchange, he pointed out. The regulation states that foreign exchange must be available in Indonesia within a certain period of time so that it can be used for technological development and commercialization. Ardika also outlined other supports, including the establishment of the National Standards (SNI) for crude palm oil and palm cooking oil. To develop any industry, competent human resources are necessary, he added. To ensure this, the ministry has issued the National Competency Standard of Work for industries such as crude palm oil (CPO), palm cooking oil, oleochemical, and biodiesel. The standard covers expertise ranging from operational to management aspects. Educational institutions under the ministry have been accredited for issuing certification for the professional work standard.

The ministry has requested the National Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) to allocate scholarship funding for students attending the ministry’s educational institutions to meet the demand for one thousand workers each year in the palm processing industry. A member of research and development at BPDPKS, Jenny Elisabeth, highlighted the need for palm processing companies to produce crude palm oil that meets the quality standards in order to ensure the competitiveness of the industry. She delivered the statement during the “Technology & Talent Palm Oil Conference and Exhibition” hosted by the National Association of Plantation Professionals and Practitioners on Tuesday (March 7, 2023). “Ever-growing market demand for the quality of processed items must be met by palm processing companies by producing high-quality CPO. From the plantation, palm processing, and CPO transport, all (good quality) must be maintained,” she said.

Teknologi Ai Dalam Produksi Minyak Sawit Disiapkan Untuk Berkembang

Ai Tech For Palm Oil Production Set To Grow

Sebuah solusi teknologi pertanian yang mengubah perkebunan kelapa sawit dengan pertanian presisi berhasil mengumpulkan dana sebesar £250.000. Putaran pendanaan pra-benih untuk Permia Sensing, sebuah perusahaan spinout dari Imperial College, dipimpin oleh perusahaan modal ventura yang berfokus pada tahap awal, Jenson Funding Partners. Dana yang terkumpul akan digunakan untuk melanjutkan misi Permia Sensing dalam mengubah cara pengelolaan perkebunan kelapa sawit melalui penggunaan teknologi pemantauan dan robotika.

Perkebunan kelapa sawit memainkan peran penting dalam pertanian global karena mereka menghasilkan minyak, kelapa, dan kurma. Minyak kelapa sawit sendiri dapat ditemukan dalam sekitar 50% semua produk kemasan di Amerika Serikat saja, termasuk kosmetik, pakaian, furnitur, dan lainnya. Kelapa sawit merupakan tanaman yang lebih efisien dibandingkan tanaman lain karena hanya membutuhkan sebagian kecil lahan dibandingkan dengan tanaman lainnya. Misalnya, kelapa sawit menghasilkan 40% dari total produksi minyak nabati dengan hanya menggunakan 6% dari lahan. Namun, karena faktor seperti kekurangan nutrisi, kekeringan, atau penyakit, perkebunan kelapa sawit rata-rata hanya menghasilkan setengah dari potensi hasilnya.

Sensor akustik Permia Sensing dirancang khusus untuk mendeteksi kumbang kelapa merah, hama berbahaya bagi pohon kelapa yang diketahui merusak sekitar 10% hasil kelapa secara global. Sensor akustik ini, yang memiliki akurasi 97%, juga memantau kesehatan pohon untuk hal-hal seperti kadar nutrisi dan irigasi. Data sensor ini dapat digunakan bersamaan dengan citra dan platform AI Permia Sensing untuk membantu petani menganalisis data tingkat pohon di seluruh perkebunan kelapa sawit dan memberikan saran untuk meningkatkan hasil panen. Perusahaan saat ini sedang mencoba solusinya di perkebunan korporat di Sri Lanka. Minyak kelapa sawit telah menghadapi kritik dari kelompok lingkungan karena menjadi pendorong deforestasi di beberapa hutan paling beragam hayati di dunia, tetapi perusahaan ini mengatakan bahwa mereka membantu memecahkan masalah ini. Selain membuat pertanian kelapa sawit lebih efisien dan memungkinkan penggunaan lahan yang lebih sedikit, Permia Sensing juga menyediakan pendekatan yang lebih ramah lingkungan untuk mengatasi hama seperti kumbang kelapa merah. Dengan upaya pertanian presisi yang berfokus pada keberlanjutan dan net-zero, Permia Sensing sejalan dengan Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan PBB, demikian pernyataan perusahaan. “Banyak penelitian telah menunjukkan bahwa kita belum bekerja pada perkebunan kelapa sawit dengan cara yang paling efektif, terutama ketika kita mempertimbangkan seberapa besar kelapa sawit yang diperlukan untuk penggunaan global,” kata Efrem de Paiva, CEO Permia Sensing. “Dengan teknologi Permia, kami berharap dapat membantu petani di seluruh dunia menghasilkan hasil yang paling berkelanjutan dari pohon-pohon yang sehat. Dengan meminimalkan beberapa input yang diperlukan, kami dapat mengurangi emisi CO2, tak terkecuali dampak sosial dari menghasilkan lebih banyak pendapatan dalam rantai pasok.”

Sarah Barber, CEO Jenson Funding Partners, menambahkan:

“Dengan kelapa sawit yang sangat banyak digunakan dalam produk di seluruh dunia, penting bagi petani untuk memiliki akses ke alat yang diperlukan untuk menghasilkan hasil yang paling tinggi. “Permia adalah solusi yang serba guna, memberikan wawasan tentang sumber daya dan panen kelapa sawit, serta data untuk mendukung kesehatan pohon, hasil yang lebih tinggi, dan dampak lingkungan. Data ini tidak hanya berguna bagi petani, tetapi juga perkebunan kelapa sawit di masa depan.”

An agricultural tech solution transforming palm plantations with precision farming has secured £250,000. The pre-seed round of funding into Permia Sensing, an Imperial College spinout, has been led by early-stage focused venture capital firm Jenson Funding Partners. The funding will be used to continue its mission to change the way palm plantations are managed via the use of monitoring technologies and robotics.

Palm plantations play a significant role in global agriculture as they produce oil, coconuts, and dates. Palm oil itself can be found in approximately 50% of all packaged goods in the US alone, including cosmetics, clothing, furniture, and more. Palm is a more efficient crop than others as it requires the use of a fraction of the land that other crops utilise. For example, palm produces 40% of total vegetable oil output while using only 6% of the land. But due to factors such as lack of nutrients, drought or disease, palm plantations on average produce just half of their potential yield.

Permia Sensing’s acoustic sensor was designed primarily to detect red palm weevil, a harmful pest for coconut palm trees that is known to damage an estimated 10% of the coconut yield globally. The acoustic sensor, which has 97% accuracy, also monitors tree health for the likes of nutrient and irrigation levels. The sensor data can then be utilised alongside imagery and Permia Sensing’s AI-powered platform to help growers analyse tree-level data across an entire palm plantation and suggest ways to improve yields. The company is currently piloting its solutions in corporate plantations in Sri Lanka. Palm oil has faced criticism from environmental groups due to it being a driver of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, but the company says it is helping to solve this problem. Along with its solution making palm farming more efficient, thus enabling the usage of less land, it also provides a less toxic approach to getting rid of pests such as the red palm weevil. With these sustainability and net-zero focused precision farming efforts, Permia Sensing is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, it says. “Much research has shown us that we are not working palm plantations in the most effective way possible, particularly when we consider just how much palm is required for global use,” said Efrem de Paiva, CEO of Permia Sensing. “With Permia’s technology, we hope to help farmers globally generate the most sustainable yield from the healthiest trees. By minimising some required input we can reduce CO2 emissions, not to mention the social impact of generating more income within the supply chain.”

Sarah Barber, CEO of Jenson Funding Partners, added: “With palm being so prominent in products across the globe, it’s important farmers have access to tools required to generate the highest yield. “Permia is a solution that is multifaceted, providing insights on resources and palm harvest, as well as data to support tree health, higher yields and environmental impact. This data is not only useful for farmers, but future palm plantations.”