Rahman Syed
Encyclopedia
Datuk Rahman Anwar Syed (14 December 1932 – 20 June 2009) was a Pakistani entomologist, professor, actor, and entrepreneur, best known for his discovery of the biological method of oil palm
pollination
.
, Punjab, British India, the eldest of seven children. His father, Major Dr. Abdul Majeed, was a doctor in the British Indian Army and a renowned malariologist. Given Dr. Majeed's frequent absence from home due to the demanding nature of his work, Dr. Syed became independent at an early age. The untimely loss of his mother added to the hardships of his childhood.
Syed received his primary education at a local village school, sitting upon dirt mats outdoors in searing heat. It was after the harrowing 1947 Partition of India
, when his family made the dangerous journey to the Pakistan
i city of Karachi
, that Syed began to show his promise. There he gained admission to the renowned Dayaram Jethamal Science College, joining its University Officers Training Course and achieving success academically. Syed moved on to Lahore's
prestigious Forman Christian College
, where he developed a lasting interested in physical science and zoology
.
Syed was an avid sportsman, captaining Forman Christian College's football team and playing racquet sports. Throughout life he was a passionate fan of cricket
.
In the latter stages of his youth, Syed delved into acting, playing a lead role in the Pakistan Television drama, Lagan Apni Apni.
, a post he held for six years. In 1968 he joined the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control and became involved in entomological research. His initial work with the institute involved the biological control of fruit flies, an endeavor especially important to Pakistan's agricultural sector. At this time he completed his formal education, being awarded a PhD
from the University of Punjab in Lahore.
, Malaysia, where he gained a measure of notoriety for his work that led to the doing away of certain insecticides through the use of a virus to control palm leaf-eating nettle caterpillars. Leslie Davidson, then Chairman of Unilever
oil palm plantations in Malaysia, hired Syed to investigate a hunch he had on the possibility of oil palm pollination being doable by insects rather than, as conventional wisdom had it, solely by wind or by hand. Syed's field and laboratory research in Cameroon
yielded the conclusive discovery of the most efficient pollinator of the oil palm, the weevil
species Elaeidobious kamerunicus. In 1979 he published his findings in the Bulletin of Entomological Research. The newly-recognized African oil palm weevil, E. kamerunicus, was approved for importation and brought to the plantations of Malaysia in 1981. Its release was a great success, dramatically improving palm oil production, ending the costly and time consuming practice of hand-pollination, and speeding plantation expansion, all with little to no negative biological impact.
Syed fathered four sons by his wife of fifty-one years. He remained active in entomology consulting and in business until his death, founding, owning, and chairing Nourbiz Pvt. Ltd., a Pakistani snack food company responsible for the well-known Korneez brand. He died at his home in Islamabad after a long battle with colorectal cancer
.
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
.
Early life
Rahman Anwar Syed was born into a Muslim family of the village of AlawalpurAlawalpur
Alawalpur is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the state of Punjab, India. Alawalpur is named after Alawal Khan, a Pathan who ruled the area during the time of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Sardar Himmat Singh Jallewalia, a General in Ranjit Singh's army later conquered Alawalpur...
, Punjab, British India, the eldest of seven children. His father, Major Dr. Abdul Majeed, was a doctor in the British Indian Army and a renowned malariologist. Given Dr. Majeed's frequent absence from home due to the demanding nature of his work, Dr. Syed became independent at an early age. The untimely loss of his mother added to the hardships of his childhood.
Syed received his primary education at a local village school, sitting upon dirt mats outdoors in searing heat. It was after the harrowing 1947 Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, when his family made the dangerous journey to the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i city of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, that Syed began to show his promise. There he gained admission to the renowned Dayaram Jethamal Science College, joining its University Officers Training Course and achieving success academically. Syed moved on to Lahore's
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
prestigious Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College University, or FCCU, is a chartered university in Lahore, Pakistan, named after its American-born founder, Dr. Charles William Forman.- History :...
, where he developed a lasting interested in physical science and zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
.
Syed was an avid sportsman, captaining Forman Christian College's football team and playing racquet sports. Throughout life he was a passionate fan of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
In the latter stages of his youth, Syed delved into acting, playing a lead role in the Pakistan Television drama, Lagan Apni Apni.
Further Education and Career
Rahman Anwar Syed’s first job, in 1962, was one teaching zoology at Gordon College, RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, a post he held for six years. In 1968 he joined the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control and became involved in entomological research. His initial work with the institute involved the biological control of fruit flies, an endeavor especially important to Pakistan's agricultural sector. At this time he completed his formal education, being awarded a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Punjab in Lahore.
Oil Palm Pollination Research and Discovery
After his doctoral studies, Syed was posted by the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control to SabahSabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, Malaysia, where he gained a measure of notoriety for his work that led to the doing away of certain insecticides through the use of a virus to control palm leaf-eating nettle caterpillars. Leslie Davidson, then Chairman of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
oil palm plantations in Malaysia, hired Syed to investigate a hunch he had on the possibility of oil palm pollination being doable by insects rather than, as conventional wisdom had it, solely by wind or by hand. Syed's field and laboratory research in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
yielded the conclusive discovery of the most efficient pollinator of the oil palm, the weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
species Elaeidobious kamerunicus. In 1979 he published his findings in the Bulletin of Entomological Research. The newly-recognized African oil palm weevil, E. kamerunicus, was approved for importation and brought to the plantations of Malaysia in 1981. Its release was a great success, dramatically improving palm oil production, ending the costly and time consuming practice of hand-pollination, and speeding plantation expansion, all with little to no negative biological impact.
Later Life and Legacy
For his contribution to the Sabah and Malaysia's economic and social wellbeing, the Malaysian state of Sabah bestowed upon Rahman Anwar Syed the honorary title of Datuk. In its first post-release year alone, E. kamerunicus was calculated to have increased Malaysian oil palm production by approximately US $370 million. The weevil has since been employed as chief pollinator of oil palms in all other parts of the world where it did not already exist, and its economic impact has continued to build exponentially over the years.Syed fathered four sons by his wife of fifty-one years. He remained active in entomology consulting and in business until his death, founding, owning, and chairing Nourbiz Pvt. Ltd., a Pakistani snack food company responsible for the well-known Korneez brand. He died at his home in Islamabad after a long battle with colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
.