The Palm Oil Manufacturing Technology Exhibition and Conference (POMtec) 2023 organized by the Sarawak Palm Oil Plantation Owners Association (SOPPOA) was held last August 8 to 9 at the Imperial Hotel, Miri.

POMtec 2023 themed "Toward Sustainable & Value Added Business Operation" is organized to highlight the effectiveness of the latest technology that promotes sustainability such as environmentally friendly processes, waste reduction and energy efficiency in palm oil manufacturing operations. The Borneo EcoScience Institute (IEB), Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus (UPMKB) has been invited and provided an exhibition space to jointly display the results of research innovations and publications throughout the POMtec program.

The Opening Ceremony of POMtec 2023 was completed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. He also visited the IEB, UPMKB exhibition hall to see the innovative research and publication products produced by UPM related to oil palm and its biomass.

During the visit, Fadillah was also accompanied by Sarawak Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development (M-FICORD) Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, Chairman of the Sarawak Palm Oil Plantation Owners Association (SOPPOA) Eric Kiu Kwong Seng and other dignitaries.

The briefing during the visit was delivered by the Director of IEB, UPMKB Dr Syeed SaifulAzry Osman Al Edrus. He was interested in the results of the research and publications shown and also suggested the IEB, UPMKB to discuss further with M-FICORD to see the collaborative potential that can be held to develop downstream products based on oil palm biomass in Sarawak.

Through the programme, the Deputy Prime Minister also urged the parties involved to continue experimenting with innovative procedures and strategies to add value to the country's palm oil production chain.

Also visiting the IEB exhibition hall, UPMKB was the Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Sarawak Dr Hazland Abang Hipni.

At the closing ceremony, the IEB, UPMKB had time to exchange views with the Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Sarawak Regional Development (M-FICORD) Maclaine @ Martin Ben.

Two researchers from UPMKB namely Prof Dr Patricia King Jie Hung (Deputy Director of IEB, UPMKB) and Dr Sivasangar Seenivasagam (Senior Lecturer, Department of Science and Technology, UPMKB) have been invited to present their research results in POMtec 2023. Participate in the programme those are Dr Latifah Omar (Head of the Borneo Biodiversity Laboratory, IEB, UPMKB) together with Dr Mugunthan Perumal (Research Officer, IEB, UPMKB).

In conjunction with the exhibition, IEB, UPMKB also promoted the study programs offered at UPMKB such as Diploma Preparatory Science, Diploma, Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Philosophy which were shared to the students and POMtec participants who attended.

Also present to enliven the program are friends from the Private Institute of Higher Education (IPTS) and industry players.