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KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Bernama) -- The completion of the second phase of Technology Park Malaysia (TPM Biotech) Sdn Bhd's RM35 million Herbal Biotech Centre in Raub, Pahang, is set to further fuel the development and growth of the local herbal industry.
In a statement today, TPM Biotech senior manager Fadzhairi Abd. Jabar said with the completion of the phase two development, TPM Biotech can now perform all stages of herbal processing and production, right from research and development (R&D), pilot scale to commercialisation.
"The uniqueness of the centre, is attributable to the employment of state-of-the-art technology and its capability to offer processing from R&D operations to pilot scale projects, from 10-20kg and higher production capacity of up to one tonne.
"The distillation technology for essential oils, mainly Agarwood (gaharu), probably makes us the first in Malaysia to utilise such technology advancement," he added.
On prospects for the local herbal industry, Fadzhairi said it remains bright as it is a multi-billion ringgit industry offering strong growth prospects, especially for small and medium scale enterprises.
The local herbal industry is expected to experience an average growth of 35 per cent annually.
Experts had estimated the Malaysian herbal industry to be worth about RM8 billion in 2008/2009.
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