KUALA KANGSAR (Nov 19): Palm oil mills in the country have been urged to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology for palm oil processing, reducing cost and increasing revenue.

Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said Minsawi Industries (Kuala Kangsar) Sdn Bhd’s palm oil mill here, which utilises AI technology provided by AIREI Sdn Bhd, can serve as an example to other palm oil mills.

“This is a first in the world where a palm oil mill uses technological advancement that adopts AI incorporated in its sensors and some of the predictive tools to process palm oil.

“If this technology is effective, the system should be looked into by all stakeholders in the industry. We have 446 palm oil mills (in the country), but this is the first one to incorporate all these technologies including AI and sensors,” he told a media conference after launching the AI-based smart palm oil mill, a collaboration between Minsawi Industries and AIREI, here on Tuesday.

Also present were AIREI Sdn Bhd founder and chief executive officer Surendran Kuranadan and Minsawi Industries directors Datuk B. Sahadivanaidu dan Datuk Kili Rathna Raj.

Johari said the palm oil mill, via the AI technology used, is able to reduce its workforce, especially foreign labour, by about 30-35%, thus prioritising local talent to handle the technology.

“Hence, such a big mill can reduce its workforce by 30-35% and also gain efficiency in terms of oil processing, besides increasing income and maximising production.

“Secondly, as the number of workers can be lowered, it can save nearly 35% in overhead cost,” he said.

Johari said he was also informed that other costs would also fall with the reduction in foreign workers, including energy, water utility and administrative costs.

“If all 446 palm oil mills in the country adopted this technology, the number of foreign workers could be cut by nearly 8,000, which is a large figure,” he added.

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