Malaysian entreprenuers are invited to establish palm oil refineries in Central Kalimantan.

Deputy Governor Ir Achmad Diran said as the province’s oil palm industry is developing rapidly, there is a need for more refineries to cater for the 1.2 million tonnes of crude palm oil produced in Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan).

Central Kalimantan has only one refinery as such a significant amount of the crude palm oil, produced in the province, is transported by ships to Surabaya for processing.

“There is great potential to invest in this sector as oil palm cultivation is developing rapidly in Central Kalimantan which registered a growth of 5.94 per cent last year.

“We have 4 million hectares of land which is suitable not only for oil palm but also for rubber cultivation,” he told a Malaysian delegation of journalists and businessmen from Sabah, led by former Sabah chief minister Datuk Harris Salleh who are on a 10-day visit to Kalimantan.

The visit, sponsored by Berjaya Foundation and coordinated by the Indonesian Consulate in Kota Kinabalu, is to explore investment prospects in Kalimantan and to forge close ties between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Achmad said several Malaysian companies are already developing part of 700,000ha of land being opened up in Central Kalimantan.

He said there are also ample opportunities for investors to venture into livestock breeding of cattle to meet the rising demand for beef.

“Central Kalimantan needs an additional 7,000 head of cattle, just to supply meat to its 300,000 population.

“This does not include the demand for beef from other provinces in Kalimantan,” he added. – Bernama

Source: Business Times