ARDA organizes a forum to brainstorm policy opinion (Agricultural Policy Forum) “Oil Palm and Palm Oil Value Chain to a variety of biological products.”

14 September 2022, ARDA with Prince of Songkla University, Suratthani Campus, organizes a policy Forum (Agricultural Policy Forum) on Oil Palm and Palm Oil Value Chain to a variety of biological products” to provide opportunities for all relevant parties to discuss, exchange and make recommendations on developments, and opportunities from new challenges of the palm oil and palm oil industry in the future at the Diamond Plaza Hotel Surat Thani Province. In the seminar, there were 140 interested parties throughout the palm oil and palm oil value chain from government agencies, the private sector, entrepreneurs, and the general public.

Such activities are one of the key objectives of driving research into policy utilization. In the forum, there were experts in specific fields as speakers namely, Asst. Prof. Dr. Benchamaporn Pimpa, Prince of Songkla University, Mr. Tawat Lasakul, manager Sahakorn Nikhomphanom .Co., Ltd., Ms. Duangjai Petchchot, Community Enterprise Manager, Sustainable Palm Oil Producer, Golden Palm, Ms. Oraphan Pripon, Network Manager of Thai Eastern Sustainable Palm Oil Producer Community Enterprise, and Mr. Prakarn Virakul, Expert in Agricultural Economics Palm Oil and Palm Oil Specialist and consultant National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, ACFS as a moderator from the discussion, there were policy recommendations to support research on palm oil and palm oil to lead to the use in various forms linking upstream, midstream, and downstream processes; Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) which will increase production efficiency to obtain good quality and safe oil palm bunches suitable as a raw material for palm oil production taking into account the impact on the environment, safety, and welfare of workers for integrated and sustainable palm oil production including raising the price of fresh palm fruit and Thai oil palm products to compete in the world market.

Surat Thani province and nearby areas are important oil palm plantation areas and have a high yield per rai, especially in the Ao Luek district. It is the area where oil palm is the first source of the country's establishment of community enterprises, cooperatives, and networks that consider helping oil palm growers to add value to palm oil production as the main income for their families cooperative members benefit and create value from oil palm trees and leftovers to create an opportunity for farmers to earn income throughout the year. There is a large oil palm project to promote oil palm plantations to meet RSPO standards, as well as to bring technology and innovation to strengthen the agricultural sector, which can apply technology and innovation apply in such occupations able to market more widely.

The narrative aspect “Sustainability Assessment of Oil Palm Value Chains and Refinery Systems for Food, Fuel and Other Value Products in Thailand” was honored by Professor Dr. Shabbir Guevala, and Dr. Thapat Silalertruksa, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), and narrative “Potential and Possibilities of Bio Lubricant Industry from Thai Oil Palms to Compete in the World Market and Raise FFB Prices” honored by Asst. Prof. Dr. Aat Pisanwanich, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce from lectures and knowledge transfer made participants aware of the promotion of the palm biorefinery industry for the production of food, fuel, and high-value products, which aims to enable development throughout the palm oil value chain despite the current operation (production of palm oil for consumption and biodiesel), and biorefinery systems for high-value products, such as chemistry and biomaterials with potential for the future Including turning to use plant-based raw materials in the production of lubricants with greater emphasis on sustainability and environmental protection.