COOPÉRATION DE L'INSTITUT ASIATIQUE DE TECHNOLOGIE ET DE LA FAO DANS LE DOMAINE DE LA RECHERCHE SUR LE SAGOUTIER

Un projet de recherche sur le sagoutier a été l'occasion d'une intéressante coopération entre la FAO et un institut de recherche régional. M. Christopher Oates, scientifique de réputation internationale, spécialiste de l'alimentation et du traitement des aliments et professeur invité de l'Institut asiatique de technologie (Thaïlande) a consacré un mois à effectuer des recherches et à rédiger un rapport sur de nouveaux moyens d'améliorer la production d'amidon à petite échelle à partir de sagou en Asie et dans le Pacifique. Lors de son séjour au titre du Programme d'experts invités, M. Oates a fait appel aux experts du réseau en expansion des universités et instituts de recherche d'Asie du Sud-Est, grâce auxquels se développent des synergies dans le domaine de la recherche et des transferts de technologie concernant l'utilisation du sagoutier.

EL INSTITUTO ASIÁTICO DE TECNOLOGÍA Y LA FAO COOPERAN EN LA INVESTIGACIÓN SOBRE LA PALMERA DE SAGÚ

Un proyecto de investigación sobre la palmera de sagú sirvió de oportunidad para la colaboración entre la FAO y una institución regional de investigación. Christopher Oates, científico internacional en alimentación y transformación de productos agrarios y miembro visitante del Instituto Asiático de Tecnología, en Tailandia, pasó un mes investigando y redactando un informe sobre procedimientos innovadores para mejorar la producción de almidón de la palmera de sagú en pequeña escala en Asia y el Pacífico.

Durante su misión de un mes de duración en el ámbito del Programa de expertos visitantes de instituciones académicas y de investigación, Oates visitó una red de universidades e institutos de investigación en el sudeste Asiático, cuyos expertos desarrollan sinergias en la investigación.

THE ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND FAO COOPERATE ON SAGO PALM RESEARCH

A research project on sago palm provided a valuable opportunity for collaboration between FAO and a regional research institution. Christopher Oates, an international food and agroprocessing scientist and visiting faculty member of the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, spent one month researching and writing a report on innovative ways of improving small-scale sago starch production in Asia and the Pacific. During his assignment under the Visiting Experts from Academic and Research Institutions Programme, Oates tapped into a growing network of universities and research institutes in Southeast Asia whose experts are developing synergies in sago palm utilization research and technology transfer. Sago palm is one of the cheapest and most readily available sources of food starch. The starch is extracted from the pith of the sago palm, a plant that is sacred to the local communities that grow it. When combined with protein from sources such as fish and nuts, and vitamins from wild fruits, it forms a diet that has nourished communities in underdeveloped regions for many centuries. Sago is still a major energy food for many communities in Papua New Guinea and can also be a valuable famine food in the region.

Managed correctly, sago palm can provide benefits to farmers and processors, particularly in marginalized communities, and offers an ecologically sound alternative for increased land use. Dryland sago palms are adapted to poor-quality, degraded soils and can be used to stabilize soils on land that has become virtually useless for cropping in food-insecure areas. The expert's report reviewed the state of sago palm processing in four major producer countries in the region - Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.

Sago starch is used as an ingredient in many foods including noodles, white bread, high-fructose syrup and medicines. It also has numerous industrial uses and considerable potential for development as an industrial feedstock. There is currently a resurgence of interest in sago palm in Southeast Asia, where small-scale processing remains the predominant form of starch extraction.

Christopher Oates at a sago starch processing plant in Bogor, Indonesia Christopher Oates dans une unité de traitement de l'amidon obtenu à partir de sagou à Bogor (Indonésie) El Sr. Christopher Oates en una planta de fabricación de almidón de la palmera de sagú en Bogor, Indonesia

This is labour-intensive, involving physically demanding work, much of which is done by women. Considerable potential exists to improve the technology used in the sago starch extraction industry, which lags behind that of other starches such as cassava, maize and potato, whose pricing structures make them more competitive than sago starch on world markets. Oates and experts from the various institutes examined appropriate starch processing technologies needed to increase local communities' utilization and income from sago. On the basis of their combined research, a number of technological innovations were recommended to ensure the sustainable development of small-scale sago starch processing in Asia and the Pacific. Modern equipment is needed to reduce the level of drudgery involved in traditional starch extraction and to increase efficiency. Earlier post-harvest processing and better hygiene practices during processing will improve starch quality and make sago starch a more attractive commodity on world markets. Processing technology should have the primary objective of producing starch of international quality and should not rely on excessive felling.

Guidelines for farmers on improved cultivation practices will help sago palm yields reach their potential and preserve the genetic diversity of the species. Advances also need to be made in sago palm agronomy and more research should be undertaken on the crop. Further innovations needed to develop the sago industry include improved transport and infrastructure and availability of farmer credit facilities.