KUCHING, March 9: Members of the Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (DOPPA) and Persatuan Veteran Angkatan Tentera (PVATM) Sarawak are to help oil palm smallholders to be Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MPSO) certified.
In making this call, the Deputy Minister of the Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (FICORD) Martin Ben explained that MPSO is a Malaysian government scheme for palm oil plantations, independent and organised small holdings, and palm oil processing facilities to be certified based on a sustainability framework.
“MSPO certification has a significant impact on our oil palm smallholders,and the Malaysian government is making it mandatory for all planters, including smallholders to be certified under MPSO certification,” he revealed.
“This is where I believe DOPPA and PVATM Sarawak and its members who are smallholders could probably help Sarawak in the initiative to make our smallholders MSPO certified. I think it is very important,” he said before officiating at the ‘Solidaridad Roundtable Meeting: Transition Towards Sustainable Palm Oil Production in Sarawak’ at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
The roundtable meeting was organised by Solidaridad Network (Malaysia) Berhad with the objective of facilitating market linkages between international markets and stakeholders in Sarawak, Malaysia through the promotion of business-to-business (B2B) relationships and partnerships.
Ben, who is ADUN for Kedup, was representing the Minister of the Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (FICORD), Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
Ben disclosed that to date, a total of 763 estates within an area of 1.4 million hectares had been certified under the MPSO certificate and the number for independent smallholders is 35,736 with a total area of 200,000 hectares certified.
“So far, we have achieved 90 per cent of smallholders having MPSO certification,” he added.
Also present were the permanent secretary to FICORD Sirai Daha, the organising chairman and the Country Manager of Solidaridad Dr Law Chu Chien, President of Asian Palm Oil Alliance, Atul Chaturvedi, president of SEA, Ajay JhunJhunwala, Doppa president Napolean Royal Ningkos and PVATM Sarawak president,
Jimbau Galau. — DayakDaily
