KUCHING: The Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (SOPPOA) fully supports the government move to attain recognition for Malaysian certified sustainable palm oil with the mandatory certification for the palm oil industry by the end of 2019. Said a spokesper son for SOPPOA: “As reported recently, the Minister for Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC), Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong stated that the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification for the industry shows the government commitment in ensuring that the palm oil produced and exported from Malaysia is certified for the international market.
“As the international market for palm oil demands sustainably produced oil, Malaysia is taking steps to meet the requirements with mandatory MSPO certification for the industry and can lead to good premium pricing for our oil,” said the spokesperson.
“The certification scheme is also good as it will ensure that producers adopt Good Agricultural Practices as mandated and SOPPOA members have embarked on the certification process enthusiastically, with some already receiving their certification for estates and mills,” he said.
He revealed that SOPPOA was not only committed to ensuring that its members adopt the MSPO certification but also strove to include independent planters (smallholders) into adopting MSPO.
“The Minister also pointed out that smallholders can get MSPO certification for free with an incentive of RM130million allocated by the government for the purpose.
“ In fact, the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) Chairman, Datuk M. Nagarajan had also confirmed that the government would absorb the entire cost related to MSPO certification for smallholders (The Star, December 11, 2017). “The MPOCC is an independent non-profit organisation established to develop and operate the MSPO certification scheme.
“To assist these smallholders who are also suppliers of FFBs (fresh fruit bunch) to the mills, SOPPOA is working with the relevant authorities to educate them on the need for MSPO certification. “It is crucial for all involved in the industry to be certified, large estates and smallholders alike as we are all in the same industry.
“Furthermore, with MSPO being a mandatory scheme, we are confident that Malaysian palm oil will be accepted by the international market as sustainably produced throughout the whole supply chain process,” the spokesperson added. In line with the education aspect of adopt ing MSPO, SOPPOA, he said, was planning to hold seminars for smallholders on MSPO certification with the relevant authorities in 2018.
On other areas of SOPPOA’s collaboration with the smallholders, he said that estate managers readily provided advice and information on the best agricultural practices as well as how to overcome pests and diseases affecting their palms.
“Mill managers usually advise the smallholders on the quality of the FFBs supplied to the mills to enhance their value as well as income for the smallholders. “Cash payments for crops delivered to mills provide convenience to smallholders while some mills even provide relatively cheaper fertilizers to the smallholders who deliver crops to their mills.”
According to the spokesman, the estate and mill managers are also the usual reference points for the smallholders when it comes to understanding government policies and requirements like MSPO certification due to their frequent contacts.
“Hence, smallholders benefit from these inputs provided by the estates and mills to make improvements to their estates and also fruits produced.” Due to the collective efforts of planters, millers and refiners, the implementation of MSPO would bring about positive effects in the whole industry and provide a brand recognition for Malaysian palm oil in the market, added the spokesman.
