KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Plantation Bhd will work with China's agriproduct merchandiser and food producer COFCO Group Co. Ltd to produce certified-sustainable, high value palm oil products for the global market.
Sime Plantation, the world’s largest producer of certified sustainable palm oil, had on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with COFCO Group to work together on a number of palm oil related ventures.
The MoU includes a joint research on the health benefits of palm oil, developing capabilities to manufacture specialty oils and fats, and establishing joint sales and marketing activities to promote high value differentiated palm products in China.
Through these initiatives, both Sime Plantation and COFCO hope to create greater demand for certified sustainable palm oil and increase trade volumes between the two companies.
The signing event, held at the China World Summit Wing, was witnessed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as part of his five-day official visit to China.
Sime Plantation executive deputy chairman and managing director Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh said the MoU “truly reflects our aspiration to be the leader in promoting the health benefits of palm oil and to produce certified-sustainable, high value palm oil products for the global market”.
“We look forward to seeing the positive results of combining Sime Darby Plantation R&D capabilities with COFCO’s expertise in advanced health-based food research,” he added.
Both companies will conduct further research on the health benefits of products such as palm tocotrienol, red palm olein, and palm kernel oil.
They intend to develop specialty products such as premium shortening and bakery fats for the Chinese market, and to explore possibilities to co-manufacture these healthy oils and specialty fats in Malaysia.
Modh Bakke said China is a key market for Malaysian palm oil and Sime Plantation was proud to contribute towards increasing trade volumes and strengthening of relations between Malaysia and China.
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