KUCHING: The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is funding promotional activities on the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, says Datuk Willie Mongin.
The Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister said MPOC and MSPO certification by smallholders and millers would increase global competitiveness as well as sustainability of the country’s palm oil industry.
He added that MPOB had established 162 Sustainable Palm Oil Clusters (SPOCs) nationwide, all of which were MSPO certified.
Willie said this during the Malaysia Prihatin Programme and dialogue session with palm oil industry players as well as MPOB licensees at the Kuching South City Council auditorium here on Monday (March 29).
“In Sarawak, there are 32 SPOCs with the involvement of 23,134 independent smallholders, covering 132,451.66 hectares of oil palm plantations with MSPO certification.
“The total area cultivated by independent smallholders in Sarawak is 234,812.37 hectares with the involvement of 40,513 smallholders.
“Moreover, 59.20 per cent of the independent smallholders have been MSPO-certified.”
The government made mandatory MSPO certification, covering palm oil mills, estates and smallholders beginning Jan 1 last year, Willie pointed out.
“However, the mandatory enforcement of MSPO certification for smallholders comes into effect on July 1 this year as they have been given a moratorium.
“MPOB, in collaboration with the federal and state agencies that manage smallholders, has successfully certified all structured smallholders with an area of 724,633 hectares nationwide.
“These include the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) with an area of 51,641 hectares and the Sarawak Land Development Authority, with 957 hectares.”
Meanwhile, MPOB director-general Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said: “Interaction sessions with industry players are held regularly, covering estates, smallholders, nurseries, fruit traders, milling and processing as well as biodiesel and oleochemical sectors.
“The dialogue on Monday is one of the approaches to get feedback related to the efforts of the ministry and MPOB in developing the country’s palm oil industry.”
Also present was the ministry’s Palm Oil and Sago Industry Development Division undersecretary Chua Choon Hwa.
