ASD cooperates with the FAO program to promote oil palm in the Union of Myanmar in Southeast Asia

ASD sells high density clones in Ecuador

ASD supplies seeds to the Peruvian government's oil palm program for small producers in the Ucayali region

In mid-December 2006, the Government of Peru, through the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), awarded ASD de Costa Rica S.A. the bid for the purchase of germinated oil palm seeds for the first stage of a project with small producers in the Ucayali region, which encompasses 10,000 hectares. Several international oil palm seed suppliers competed for this bid.

From the beginning of January to date, around 60% of the purchased seeds have been sent and are already planted in two nurseries in different localities of the target zone.

ASD is providing technical assistance and training to government technicians and producers to ensure the success of the project. Experts from ASD have already made several visits to provide technical assistance and give courses on diverse topics related to growing oil palm in the localities of Pucallpa and Aguaytía. As part of the training program, various producer leaders from the Ucayali region will visit soon ASD's experimental station and the oil palm plantations in Costa Rica.

Peru's Minister of Agriculture Eng. Juan José Salazar García and IICA Representative to Peru Dr. Freddy Rojas expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the seed and the services provided by ASD.

ASD cooperates with the FAO program to promote oil palm in the Union of Myanmar in Southeast Asia

In 2005 and 2006, experts from ASD de Costa Rica carried out consultancy missions for the United Nations FAO to suggest general guidelines for the development of an oil palm industry in the Union of Myanmar in Southeast Asia.

As part of this FAO-sponsored cooperation program, six high level officials of the Government of Myanmar visited ASD's experimental station and oil palm plantations in Costa Rica in March. Later this year, another group of technicians from the Asian nation will taken an intensive course on oil palm in Costa Rica with special training on breeding, plant protection and agronomy.

ASD sells high density clones in Ecuador>

ASD has begun to supply large quantities of high density clone ramets in Ecuador. The shorter leaves of these clones allow them to be planted in densities of up to 200 plants per hectare, which can increase yields per unit area by 40%. The ASD clones also have slow trunk growth rates, which helps reduce harvesting costs and extends the useful life of plantations.

At the end of January, 20,000 ramets were exported and planted near the city of Quevedo; the hardening stage has already been successfully completed. Another shipment of 20,000 ramets has recently been sent to the Terrasol Corp., ASD's representative in Ecuador, for planting and hardening. This company plans to tend the ramets through the final nursery stage and offer high quality, well-developed plants to interested palm growers for field planting. There will be a final export of 10,000 ramets in October for a total of 50,000, the amount needed to plant 250 hectares in 2008.