Minister: Growing need for MSPO certified smallholders
KOTA KINABALU: As of July 2018, 5.21 per cent, or 118,063 hectares ( ha), out of the total 2.27ha of oil palm smallholdings in the country have received the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), said Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok.
She said the total area certified comprised 105,751ha under 56 smallholder clusters managed by government agencies such as Felda, Felcra, Salcra and SLDB, as well as 12,312ha under 62 Sustainable Palm Oil Clusters (SPOCs) managed by MPOB.
“This means that 8.21 per cent of the 1.29 million hectares of government-managed smallholdings and 1.26 per cent of the 979,758ha private smallholdings are MSPO certified,” Kok said while officiating the Oil Palm Smallholders National Conference 2018 yesterday.
The conference was attended by MPOB chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh and more than 500 smallholders.
However, she said that MSPO certification in Sabah remained unsatisfactory as only 2,613ha, or 1.2 per cent, out of 221,148ha planted by smallholders were certified as of July this year.
Therefore, Kok said MPOB had established SPOCs to assist private smallholders in obtaining certification while government smallholders would be assisted by their respective state and federal agencies.
“The SPOCs were also established to unite all smallholders for mutual benefit and to encourage
This means that 8.21 per cent of the 1.29 million hectares of government-managed smallholdings and 1.26 per cent of the 979,758ha private smallholdings are MSPO certified.
good farming practices.
“The MSPO certification cost for private smallholders will be borne by the government with incentives of RM135 per hectare,” she said.
Teresa also said apart from government agencies such as Felda, Felcra and SLDB, smallholders can also obtain advice on MSPO certification from smallholder associations such as the National Association of Smallholders, East Malaysian Planters Association and Sarawak Dayak Oil Planters Association.
Meanwhile, she said her ministry had implemented various programmes to empower smallholders to increase their productivity and revenue, including stationing MPOB officers across the country to provide free advisory services and to channel government aid.
The primary industries minister said other government initiatives included the introduction of technology and mechanisation, such as the use of the Cantas motorised oil palm cutter developed by MPOB which improves the rate of oil palm harvest by more than 100 per cent to 8.7 tonnes daily from the 3.6 tonnes harvested manually.
“The ministry and MPOB also encourage cooperation among smallholders to increase oil palm production with the setting up of Sustainable Oil Palm Growers Cooperatives.
“As of June 2018, 50 such cooperatives were established across the country out of a total of 65 by 2020,” she added. — Bernama
Teresa Kok, Primary Industries Minister