Synopsis

Wong Choo Kien talks about the importance of Palm Oil, and what this means for his role as Head of Crop Improvement Division for Applied Agricultural Resources. With 85% of the world’s oil palm coming from Malaysia and its neighbour Indonesia, this plant has significance not just for the history and economies of these two countries, but for the entire global food system.   
 
Mr Wong describes evidence for a 10,000 year history of the palm’s use for food in Africa, and the breeding priorities when already working with the world’s highest yielding oil crop. He describes the importance of people – the wisdom of investing in people and the need to encourage young people to consider a career in agriculture – and his sense of loyalty to the community of oil palm breeders.