By TMR / Pic by BERNAMA

ABOUT 5.2 million ha or 88.21% of the total oil palm plantation areas in the country have been certified, according to the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standards as of Dec 14.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali (picture) said 31.82% or 3.12 million ha of smallholders’ land parcels have been certified with the national palm oil production standards.

Mohd Khairuddin added that the hectarage includes oil palm land owned by 93,255 smallholders.

“Overall, as much as 88.21% of the total oil palm plantation areas in Malaysia have been certified with MSPO with an area of 5.2 million ha,” he said in a written reply dated Dec 16, 2020.

For organised smallholders, about 98.54% or 67,584ha of the group’s total oil palm area of 681,532ha were certified.

Meanwhile, 3,761 estate plantations have received the certification, involving 4.22 million ha or 99.8% of the total palm estates in the country.

Mohd Khairuddin was responding to a query by Senator Datuk Isa Ab Hamid on the number of participants and the acreage of oil palm plantations that have received MSPO’s certification and the efforts in assisting the oil palm growers among the indigenous community.

“In line with the national agenda to ensure smallholders in the oil palm plantations are certified with the MSPO in order to secure the palm oil global market, the government encourages the involvement of smallholders from the indigenous community and it has been one of the government’s agriculture agenda,” he said.

Mohd Khairuddin said about 8,177 smallholders from the indigenous community with a total of 17,951ha of plantation areas have been fully certified through community programmes that were conducted to increase the native group’s participation in oil palm cultivation.

“Among the programmes conducted for the community is the Jom MSPO Orang Asli, which has been held nationwide since 2017 to enhance the awareness of MSPO certification.

“The ministry also held discussions with the state governments and relevant agencies to resolve issues involving indigenous palm oil smallholders such as the requirements and criteria for the MSPO certification.

“These efforts are to ensure that this community is not marginalised in the current national development and to assist them in enjoying the income prosperity from the national palm oil industry,” he said.