The Man Who Brought Weevils To Malaysia To Help Boost Palm Oil Productivity
Datuk Leslie Davidson, born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1931, is a figure who profoundly impacted the palm oil industry in Malaysia and the region. His contributions extended beyond commercial success, significantly improving the lives of planters and smallholders.
Upon signing up with Unilever, a global consumer products company, Davidson was sent halfway across the world to the Pamol Estate in Kluang, Johor, during the height of the Malayan Emergency in 1951. It was in this ancestral home of the oil palm that Davidson was to make a discovery which would have a deep impact on oil palm cultivation in Malaysia and the region.
The Development of Sabah’s Fledgling Palm Oil Industry
In 1960, Datuk Davidson returned to Southeast Asia, and was assigned to Sabah to develop the palm oil industry which was in its early days. Fluent in Malay and Hakka, Datuk Davidson traveled the land and established the Tungud Oil Palm Estate, Sabah’s first oil palm plantation which expanded and became a vast plantation spanning over 20,000 acres.
Datuk Davidson, because of his years spent in Cameroon and Nigeria, noticed that oil palm pollination in West Africa was highly efficient, even during the rainy season, a condition that would hinder manual pollination in Malaysia. Convinced that insects were crucial pollinators, he garnered support from Unilever and engaged the Commonwealth Institute for Biological Control (CIBC) who conducted extensive studies in Unilever estates in Malaysia and Cameroon.
Oil Palm bunches prior to insect pollination.
A Breakthrough Discovery To Boost Palm Oil Production
Collaborating with the Commonwealth Institute for Biological Control (CIBC), led by Dr. Rahman Syed, they discovered the weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus as an efficient pollinator.
Datuk Davidson sought to import a batch of weevils from Cameroon to Malaysia via the United Kingdom, which proved to be a great success. This initiative significantly increased yields, contributing to a 400,000-tonne rise in palm oil and 300,000-tonne increase in palm kernels in 1981-1982.
Elaeidobius kamerunicus, the Oil Palm Weevil
The introduction of Elaeidobius kamerunicus not only improved productivity but also benefited smallholders who lacked resources for manual pollination. This breakthrough not only boosted competitiveness but also positively influenced all sectors of the palm oil industry.
Elaeidobius kamerunicus has been subsequently introduced to other countries in the region, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Thailand.
Returning to Kluang in 1970, Davidson chaired two Unilever plantations and contributed to national committees addressing plantation industry issues. His subsequent roles in Britain included Vice Chairman and later Chairman of the Unilever International Plantations Group, as well as leadership positions in Unifield, the Tropical Growers Association, and the International Centre for Plantation Studies in Silsoe.
Following his retirement from the Unilever Chairmanship in 1992, Datuk Davidson was appointed as a board member of Bertam Holdings, retiring as Deputy Chairman in 2001. His work has generated many accolades, including the 1992 World Vision Award for Development Initiative for his contribution to sustainable development, and he was conferred the title of Datuk by the Sabah State Government.
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