BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

Agriculture
Regional Comparative Advantage and Competitiveness of Malaysian Palm Oil
Products
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd. Mansor Ismail
Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 4123; mmi@agri.upm.edu.my
This paper examines the competitiveness of the Malaysian palm oil products compared to other industrial
plantation products (cocoa products, coconut, tea, and pepper) in selected ASEAN countries (Indonesia,
Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) and China by using the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) and the
revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) indices. The export data for seven groups of products based
on the standard commodity categories as defined in the harmonized tariff system (HTS) at the 4-digit level
were employed. The results indicate that Malaysia has comparative advantage in six products (palm oil (HS
1511), coconut (copra) and palm kernel oil (HS 1513), cocoa butter (HS 1804), cocoa powder (HS 1805), cocoa
paste (HS 1803), and pepper (HS 0904)), but has comparative disadvantage in tea (HS 0902). Based on the
competitiveness position, Indonesia ranked first while Malaysia ranked second in the oil palm products.
Keywords: Competitiveness, RCA, Malaysian palm oil, plantation commodities, ASEAN
Development of Morphology in Hatchery-reared Rutilus Frisii Kutum Larvae
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd. Salleh Kamaruddin
Mahdieh Jafari, Che Roos Saad, Aziz Arshad, Shahrbanoo Oryan and Mahmoud Bahmani
Faculty of Agriculture ,University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+608-946 4103; msalleh@agri.upm.edu.my
Rutilus frisii kutum (Kamensky 1901) is related to the Cyprinid family and an endemic fish of the Caspian
Sea. This study describes the characteristics of 30 embryonic developmental stages of Caspian kutum. Sperm
and ova were obtained from one female and two male Caspian kutum by artificial propagation with the use
of hypophysis injection. The eggs were incubated at 14-16 C in three veis-type incubators (jar). The eggs and
embryos were studied at various developmental stages.The eggs of kutum were demersal and measured 2 mm
diagonally. The chorion had small excrements. Nine main stages and 30 substages were determined in Caspian
kutum. The main stages were zygote, cleavage, morula, blastula, gastrula, neurula, segmentation, pharyngula, and
hatching. Embryonic developmental stages occurred in 9 d at 14-16 C. These results showed important changes
in the embryo of Caspian kutum that could be very important for achieving a successful hatch.
Keywords: Embryonic development, caspian kutum, rutilus frisii kutum
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