KUCHING: The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities needs to seriously look into the prices of palm oil so that it can be set at a price of RM500 per tonne.
Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong said Malaysia, being the second largest producer of palm oil in the world, still faced a big challenge in determining the price in the world market.
“This is because the price of palm oil is not determined by the local market but involves the international market,” he said during the debate on the First Operating and Development Expenditure Supplementary Bill (2019) Estimates in Parliament on Tuesday (Aug 11).
In a related matter, he also called for the number of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) staff to be increased immediately at the Sungai Asap station in Belaga in order to provide better service to all settlers.
“Sarawak is the second state in Malaysia to be the largest contributor to the oil palm plantation with a total of 0.840 million hectares or 16.6 per cent.
“However, there is an imbalance in the distribution of staff quotas in Sungai Asap, where most small scale oil palm settlers do not get much attention and support,” he said.
He said this shortage of staff should not be used as an excuse for failing to provide the best service to the settlers.
