Feronia Inc. ("Feronia" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:FRN) is pleased to
announce that it has received an order for 756,000 oil palm seeds from a West
African operator. This is the largest individual seed order received by the
Company to date. 


"We are pleased by the continued positive momentum in our seed business"
commented Bill Dry, COO of Feronia Oil Palm. "We have received indications of
interest from several groups planting oil palms globally. Decades of research
and development have gone into the development of our seeds and resulted in
excellent yields and resistance to key diseases including Fusarium Wilt, a major
issue for oil palms in Africa. We are investing in the expansion of our
programme to meet increased demand internally and globally from new and existing
customers."


Yaligimba Seeds is the oil palm seed sales division of Feronia Inc. The division
is the beneficiary of decades of seed breeding experience and accumulated data
at Yaligimba Research Station, the oil palm research division of Feronia Inc.
Over 50,000 individual palms are under detailed field recording at any one time
and the programme is considered to be one of the most extensive within the
industry. Through a combined breeding programme with Harrisons and Crosfield the
company has elite material from Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The
programme also includes the best material from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon
and other key Democratic Republic of Congo origins.


Yaligimba Seeds' oil palm seeds are produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo
through a rigorous program of parental selection and testing at the Yaligimba
Research Station. Dura parents are selected both from DxD crosses and DxT and
TxT crosses. They are:




--  Disease resistant 
--  Give early yields to increase profitability 
--  Give high yields of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) reaching as high as 30 t
    FFB/ha in ideal conditions 
--  Demonstrate exceptional bunch characteristics giving high extraction
    ratios on milling 



Pisifera palms are selected from progenies with outstanding yields. The crossing
programme is designed to bring together the best characteristics from a wide
range of origins. The best duras are selected on the basis of oil yield and
vegetative characters, including reduced height increment and above average
bunch index (the ratio of fruit dry weight to total dry matter). The progenies
are evaluated in field trials for yield and disease resistance and only elite
pisifera parents are used for commercial seed production.


Control and Germination

The presence of dura in plantings from commercially produced DxP material
plantings may follow inadequately controlled pollination. This inevitably leads
to lower profits. In stringent DxP surveys, Yaligimba Seeds' oil palm seed
regularly shows contamination less than 0.5% dura in palms.


The application of very high quality standards throughout production ensures
every seed is healthy. We guarantee that customers will get 85% germination with
our dry heat-treated seed. The process is simple and full germination
instructions are supplied with each consignment. Some customers have achieved in
excess of 95% germination.


Disease Resistance and Seed Health

Vascular wilt disease caused by Fusarium Oxysporum f.sp.elaeidis is a major
problem in Africa. To combat this disease selected resistant material such as
Yaligimba Seeds Wilt Resistant seed must be planted.


In the Feronia programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo, screening for
resistance is done in the field as well as the nursery. This means that parent
plants that consistently transmit resistance to their offspring can be
identified and selected resulting in seed with superior disease resistance.


The oil palm seeds are scrupulously cleaned and carefully treated with
protectant fungicides and insecticides. High priority has been given to
eliminating progenies with susceptibility to diseases such as Cercospora.


In a joint research project with Bath University, Yaligimba Research Station
developed a technique which removes all fungi including Fusarium spores, even
those between the kernel and shell. The seed is subjected to this special
treatment prior to export.


About Feronia Inc. 

Feronia Inc. is a large-scale commercial farmland and plantation operator in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"). The Company uses modern agricultural
practices to operate and develop its oil palm plantations and arable farming
business division. Feronia believes in the immense agricultural potential of the
DRC for high-quality foodstuffs and edible oils given its ideal climate,
excellent soil and highly skilled and experienced workforce. Feronia's
management team is comprised of senior agriculturalists with extensive
experience in managing both plantations and large-scale mechanized farming
operations in emerging markets. Feronia is committed to sustainable agriculture,
environmental protection and providing support for local communities. For more
information please see, www.feronia.com. 


Cautionary Notes 

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in
this press release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning
of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified
by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects",
"believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding
the stated use of proceeds; plan of operations and comparative advantages; and
benefits of this investment. There can be no assurance that such statements will
prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially
from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially include, among others, regulatory risks, risks inherent in foreign
operations, commodity prices, competition, and investments having no history of
operations. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company.
Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking
information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or
regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update
publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.


Feronia (TSXV:FRN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024 Click Here for more Feronia Charts.
Feronia (TSXV:FRN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024 Click Here for more Feronia Charts.