Sago  palm  (Metroxylon spp.)  is  one of the  major  crops  that   contributed  significantly to the economy of ASEAN.

 

It is the major species that capable of surviving well in the tropical lowland and peat swamp forests that covers most of the lands in Southeast Asia such as Sarawak in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. Due to its uniqueness, sago palm is considered the only crop that is capable of giving profitable and sustainable economic return on peat swamps. Metroxylon sagu Rottb. is reported as one of the highest starch yielding crops and since then, sago palm has been exploited intensively for agricultural plantation and industrial utilization. Besides starch being the main product of sago palm which is then converted to other materials in downstream processing, other part this plant has also been used in various ways such as for furniture and fertilizers. 

 

The 1st and 2nd ASEAN Sago Symposium was organized by the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology (FRST), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak was a succesfull event and we would like to invite you again to participate in this symposium, which is aimed at highlighting the research and developments on sago palm and its derivatives. The 2-day symposium will be the best platform for scientists and professionals to present their projects, findings, ideas and inventions related to sago palm plantation and subsequent utilization. It also offers a mechanism for the dissemination of information and networking pertaining to the development and issues pertaining to sago palm, in line with the government’s vision of making Malaysia knowledge based nation.

 

The scope of the Symposium will include broad scope in the discipline and research in sago plantation. The components are:

 

1. a) Agronomy and Agriculture Sciences,

2. b) Microbiology and Molecular Biology,

3. c) Waste Management and Starch Utilization,

4. d) Biotechnology,

5. e) Economy and Social Studies,

6. f) Sago Starch Chemistry

7. g) and others related fields 
    

Leading suppliers of equipment and scientific products will be invited exhibit their products and provide researchers with an opportunity to get the latest information on technical and scientific equipment.

 

So, mark your calendars!! We are delighted to say that the dates have been set for the 3rd ASEAN Sago Symposium 2016 — ASAS 2016. More details will follow in the coming months but here are the basics so you can save the dates:

 

Dates: 25-26th October 2016
Location: Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra (DeTAR Putra), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Local Host Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
Local Host: Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohd Hasnain Mohd Hussain