JAKARTA – The National Research and lnnovation (BRIN) assigned a group of senior researchers to Sungai Aur in Pasaman Barat regency of West Sumatra province to conduct an experiment to produce brown sugar from oil palm trees as part of efforts to provide additional sources of income for oil palm smallholders.

BRIN’s Senior Researcher Heni Purwaningsih said in Simpang Empat on Friday (13/09/2024) that their research in Pasaman Barat will be focused on how to increase the crystallization of brown sugar from the palm-tree sap and increase the quality. “We’re optimistic that we can increase the crystallization of the brown sugar from the palm-tree sap,” she said.

According to her, their first experiment will produce brown sugar with a very sweet taste, from two litres of palm sap, to 30 grams of sugar with an extraction rate of 150 percent.

For second experiment, they will produce brown sugar with lower sweetness, but with the same extraction rate.

“We’re optimistic that with better technics the business of brown sugar from palm trees will be much better in the future for oil palm farmers and other producers,” she said.

She hopes that small and medium businesses will soon take advantage of of palm sugar business. “It has further proven that all parts of oil palm trees can be used for economic benefits. Nothing of them is wasted,” she said.

Besides brown sugar, the stem starch from oil palm trees is also very potential to tap in Pasaman Barat.

According to her, collaboration of all local stakeholders, including the provincial research and development agency (Balitbangbang), local governments, and the farmers should be further strengthened and intensified in developing the new business.

He said that this very low preservative of palm sugar will be very good for those with diabetes because it contains antioxidants which are good for diabetes.

Aprizal, a producer of brown sugar from oil palm trees in Sungai Aur, Pasaman Barat, said they had started the palm sugar production since 2022. “We found that oil palm trees have similarities with other palm plants, which can be tapped for their sap and starch,” he said. (*)