Indonesia: Breakthrough Seed Innovation Strengthens Climate Resilience in Palm Oil Sector

Dami Mas, the seed division of leading agribusiness Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), has launched DxP Dami Mas MTK (Moderate Toleran Kekeringan), a major milestone in efforts to build a climate-resilient palm oil industry. MTK is the first oil palm seed to have its superior performance under drought conditions validated and approved for sale by Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture. Developed over more than a decade by GAR’s innovation arm, the SMART Research Institute (SMARTRI), MTK seeds are designed to protect productivity during drought periods, a growing global challenge for palm oil producers. Drought conditions caused by climate change are becoming more frequent, more prolonged, and more extreme, causing lower yields and declining oil quality. For every 100mm of water deficit, where an oil palm’s demand for water exceeds available supply, yield can decline by 8-10%, resulting in income loss for farmers and productivity challenges for downstream processors. SMARTRI models estimate ...