Our products are produced through a process that applies best management practices (BMP) supported by our research unit, the Asian Agri R&D Centre (AA R&D Centre) located in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra. This research unit was established in 1989 and has continued to develop not only at the national level but also at international level, where it is renowned through research cooperation, forums and scientific and technical publications. AA R&D Centre is under the auspices of April Asian Agri R&D.
In the beginning, Asian Agri R&D Center only employed seven research staff. This number has grown to the present level of 46 staff and 120 technicians. Our research team has a range of expertise, including agronomy, soil, pests, diseases, breeding, biotechnology, with education background that includes undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees from home and abroad who actively conduct integrated research to develop environmentally friendly technological packages. These packages includes superior seeds, fertilizers that meet the 4R principle (right dose, right type, right time and right target), pest and disease control using the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles, water and soil conservation, and utilization of plant processing waste.
Asian Agri R&D Centre is equipped with:
- Analytical Laboratory in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatera for analysis of leaf nutrients, soil, fertilizers, compost, oil palm, wastewater and fresh fruit bunch yield.
- Pest & Disease Laboratory for developing Integrated Pest (and Disease) Management (IPM) technologies in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra.
- Clonal Oil Palm Propagation Unit (COPPU) in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, to produce superior seeds through tissue culture technique.
- Biomolecular Laboratory in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, to develop Molecular Marker Assisted Selection.
- Oil Palm Rearch Station (OPRS) in Topaz, Riau, that specifically manages breeding and production of superior seeds.
- Test fields in various locations with different agroclimates for testing fertilizers, pest and disease control bioagents, progeny trials, and collection of genetic resources.
Our Analytic Laboratory has been accredited by the National Accreditation Committee for ISO 17025:2008 Quality Management. For years, our laboratory has consistently ranked high in accuracy tests performed by the Wageningen Evaluating Programmes for Analytical Laboratories (WEPAL), Wageningen University – The Netherlands that has a membership of 240 laboratories from all over the world. For further information and an analysis price list click here.
Superior seeds produced by OPRS Topaz have been released pursuant to Ministry of Agriculture Decree in 2004, and have been planted by many Asian Agri plantations, other large companies, smallholder as well as independent farmers. For further information click here.
Other products produced by Asian Agri R&D Centre includes biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma to control diseases caused by Ganoderma, Metharizium to control the Oryctes beetle, and rat poison. However, these three products are still limited for internal used in Asian Agri Group plantations.
In addition to research, Asian Agri R&D Centre also actively provides technical services and training to promote knowledge, awareness and skills in applying the technological packages to maximize biotic and abiotic factors to produce high yield and sustainable harvests.
