By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 23: Approximately 58,000 independent oil palm smallholders in Sarawak could face difficulties accessing international markets because of land documentation gaps under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), prompting Works Minister Dato’ Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi to urge the State government to accelerate the survey and titling of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Nanta expressed concern over the Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association’s (DOPPA) remarks that oil palm smallholders in Sarawak could face threats to their livelihoods under the EUDR, scheduled for implementation next year, if they fail to meet its requirements.
Nanta said affected smallholders, particularly native communities cultivating NCR land without formal land documentation, risk being disadvantaged by increasingly stringent international trade requirements despite working hard to develop their land and support their families.
He stressed that the lack of formal land titles should not jeopardise rural livelihoods, especially when palm oil prices are favourable and smallholders can improve their household incomes.
“Their efforts should be appreciated, encouraged and supported, not jeopardised by the absence of formal land documentation,” he said.
Nanta said the Sarawak government must address the issue urgently, noting that smallholders could struggle to meet EUDR-related requirements if they cannot provide adequate documentation to establish the legality and traceability of their oil palm production.
He warned that this could exclude their produce from important supply chains and markets, even when their cultivation activities are legitimate and not linked to deforestation.
Nanta also called for an update on Sarawak’s efforts to seek special consideration from the European Union (EU) for NCR land under the regulation.
He said he supported the position previously expressed by Sarawak Minister for Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom that the State government would work with the federal Ministry of Plantation and Commodities and the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) to pursue an exemption.
However, Nanta stressed that seeking an exemption should not come at the expense of addressing outstanding land documentation issues within Sarawak.
“As this commitment was made some time ago, I hope the Sarawak government can provide an update on the progress of the appeal and the response, if any, received from the EU,” he said.
He emphasised that efforts to secure international recognition of Sarawak’s customary land tenure system must go hand in hand with accelerating NCR land surveys, demarcation, and the issuance of individual titles to eligible landowners.
Where titles have yet to be issued, Nanta urged the relevant authorities to explore practical interim measures, including legally recognised documentation of customary land rights, to help smallholders meet the necessary compliance requirements.
He also called for closer coordination between the State government, federal authorities, DOPPA, and industry stakeholders to develop practical solutions.
Beyond land titles, Nanta said smallholders should receive assistance to meet the mapping, geolocation, and traceability requirements associated with the EUDR.
He cautioned that delays in resolving land documentation matters could cause economic losses for individual landowners, their families, and Sarawak as a whole.
“Land ownership documentation is no longer merely an administrative matter. In the face of increasingly stringent international trade requirements, it has become a critical factor in protecting the livelihoods and economic future of our rural communities,” he said.
He said the ultimate objective must be to protect NCR landowners’ rights, safeguard their livelihoods, and ensure they can benefit economically from land they have inherited, worked on and developed.
The EUDR’s goal is to ensure that certain products sold in or exported to the EU do not come from land that was deforested or degraded after Dec 31, 2020.
The regulation is designed to prevent EU consumer demand from driving further forest loss or damage, while also reducing the region’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global biodiversity decline. — DayakDaily
