Palm bio-diesel workshop in Medan

Palm bio-diesel workshop in Medan

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The North Sumatra Palm Oil Research
Center is holding a palm bio-diesel workshop with the aim of
studying the possibility of using palm oil as an alternative
fuel, an official said.

Darnoko of the center's engineering and waste management said
that seven foreign bio-diesel companies from the Netherlands,
Germany, Japan, South Africa, Malaysia, Austria and Thailand were
taking part in the workshop.

The workshop, which was opened by Minister of Agriculture
Bungaran Saragih, is held with the intention of inviting
investors, who are already utilizing and developing bio-diesel
fuel in their respective countries.

If the utilization of palm bio-diesel could be applied in
Indonesia, Darnoko said, it would help reduce the country's high
dependence on petroleum diesel.

"Contrary to petroleum diesel fuel, which pollutes the
environment, palm bio-diesel is environmentally friendly," he
said.

The utilization of palm bio-diesel is expected to help boost
the development of the palm-oil processing industry, he said,
adding that oil palm plantations in the country cover a total
area of 3.2 million hectares with palm oil production reaching
6.5 million tons per annum. -- JP