Cost benefit analysis of kenaf cultivation for producing fiber in Malaysia

The main objective of this work to assess the cost benefit of kenaf cultivation in Malaysia. The data were collected through the focus group discussion with kenaf farmers as well as from National Company of Kenaf and Tobacco board (NKTB) administrative staff, the production data collected from Kenaf Processing and Marketing Centre Bachok-Kelantan. The cost benefit analysis model was developed using Microsoft Excel software. Three scenarios of kenaf production per hectare were considered which were 15, 12 and 10 ton. According to the data analysis; the investigation of the three scenarios revealed that when the farmers in Kelantan state cultivated kenaf for producing fiber the production of 15 tons per hectare was found to be viable and maximizes their profit. The results suggest that farmers need to increase the productivity and alternate the current cultivated variety V36 with the tested varieties in Malaysian soils

Carbon stored in kenaf fiber utilization of biocomposite applications into automative components

The aim of this research is to assess the environmental impacts of the carbon dioxide sequestration and emission of kenaf cultivation and stored carbon in kenaf fiber used for automotive components; The data was collected through an interview as well as the data on kenaf' cultivated area in the four states (Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perak) in 2014 which were obtained from the (National Company for Kenaf and Tobacco-Malaysia). The three scenarios of kenaf production (10, 12& 15) ton per hectare has been assumed. The kenaf production ton/hectare has been converted to fibre. Then, the carbon which has been stored in the fiber for use in automotive components has been calculated. The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel software13 while some of the data were analysed using SPSS22. The results depicted that, the Pahang state has the highest contributor to environmental performance.In addition, the investigation has concluded that the usage of kenaf core and bast altogether as composite materials with other fillers for automotive components will enhance in mitigating the pressure to the environment by storing much carbon in the auto body. Also, this will give a superior industrial product through the lifetime of the automobile when the percentage of the fiber in the manufactured components was increased

Financial and technical assessment of kenaf cultivation for producing fiber utilized in automotive components

The kenaf plant is eco-friendly, renewable, low in cost and not meant to be a food source, owing to its potential commercial value in Malaysia, the government has allocated millions of ringgit for research to develop a viable kenafbased industry. This study is an attempt to assess the financial and technical performance of kenaf cultivation to produce fiber usage in automotive components. The financial data were collected through interviews with kenaf growers and from group discussions as well as production data collected from CMPC (Kenaf Processing and Marketing Centre) Bachok-Kelantan. The financial data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel software while Eview8 was used to analyze the production data. Three scenarios of kenaf production per hectare were assumed which were 15, 12 and 10 ton. According to the data analysis; the results revealed when kenaf production was 15 ton/ha, the farmer made a maximum profit of 37% from the subsidy provided by the Lembaga Kenaf Dan Tembakau Negara (LKTN) or National Kenaf and Tobacco Board, which was more than double the profit margin without subsidy. The financial analysis illustrated that all the three scenarios were viable when using the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) as an indicator. However, the production of 15 ton per hectare was the best of the three scenarios due to the five-year payback period, which was equal to half the period run on the model of the financial analysis. Additionally, the analysis of the production input (labor and chemicals) showed a significant effect on kenaf production as indicated in the analysis of Ordinary Least Square (OLS)