Sago palm industry adopts cutting-edge technology

CRAUN Research Sdn Bhd has innovatively harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a technology that is capable of accurately identifying and enumerating mature sago palms.

Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee said this technological advancement holds significant potential in statistical applications, aiding in the precise determination of the  number of sago palm trees within a specific area.

He said the application is also adept at discerning mature and harvestable sago palms.

“With this, CRAUN is poised to assist smallholders and sago manufacturers in effectively planning for ongoing sago production,” he said when delivering his ministry’s winding-up speech in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.

Notably, he said, the cutting-edge technology has undergone a patent application process.

Apart from that, CRAUN has also successfully established a demonstration plant in Mukah for the recovery and treatment of waste generated from sago starch processing activities, yielding valuable biogas as a by-product.

The generated biogas serves a multi-faceted purpose, providing electricity for the plant’s operations, generating heat energy to dry waste sago bagasse fibre utilised as feedstock for animal feed, and more importantly, distributing refined cooking gas to nearby village households.

He said the initiative currently benefits a total of 145 households of Kampung Teh and Kampung Tabo in Mukah, enhancing the local communities’ access to clean and sustainable cooking gas.

Sarawak, the world’s largest sago flour exporter, exported 37,884 tonnes of sago starch worth RM78.3 million in 2020.