The palm oil industry is expected to record higher yields and increased productivity within three years of securing the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification.
The objective of the RSPO, which is to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through cooperation within the supply chain and open dialogue between stakeholders, is easily met and also helps the industry adhere to the Good Agriculture Practices (GAP).
Serving as a benchmark that ensures sustainable palm oil production, RSPO’s principles and criteria for sustainable palm oil have been adopted as global guidelines for sustainable agriculture production.
RSPO was formed following Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code (2004) in Zurich, Switzerland and has members that include manufacturers, consumers, processing plants and non-governmental organisations.
The RSPO, along with GAP and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) make up one of the two components of the Sustainable Palm Oil Clusters (SPOC). The other component is cooperative development.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok says the SPOC is aimed at increasing the productivity and fresh fruit produce for smallholders through the RSPO certification.
“Produce from fresh fruit bunches (FFB) are expected to increase by 30 per cent within three years of RSPO cer tification.” “The quality of FFB is also expected to increase from the current 18 to 20 per cent with the exercise,” said Dompok.
He said the increase in productivity and FFB would help to multiply the income received by small-time farmers.
“The farmers can earn up to RM769 from the current RM667 monthly from each hectare of oil palm.” The government pays equal attention to smallholders and big-scale oil palm plantations, both of which are a part of SPOC, to propel Malaysia’s growth as leading sustainable palm oil producer.
SPOC was introduced in November last year.
Under the first phase, 10 clusters projects involving 7,039 private smallholders working on an area spanning 28,292ha were chosen to become part of the SPOC pilot project.
These clusters are located in Ton - god, Kunak, Tawau, Kinabatangan and Telupid (all in Sabah), Saratok and Batu Niah in Sarawak, Jasin in Malacca and Kluang and Kulai Jaya in Johor.
“SPOC also helps to generate a good income for smallholders through cooperatives, where they can secure a good selling price for their FFB produce by selling in bulk.
Besides, they also gain access to other agriculture-related products such as fertilisers and pesticide at a cheaper rate.” Dompok added that SPOC was also benefiting private smallholders in that they could supply good quality fruit bunches that produce bigger quantity of palm oil to plant operators.
“This proves that Malaysia can produce sustainable palm oil on big and small scales,” he said, adding that SPOC also indirectly fuelled the country’s economy while boosting its image as a leading producer of quality and sustainable palm oil.
There are more than 153,000 small private farmers managing 609,035ha of oil palm plantations in the country. One quarter of new plantings in the country, since 2000, is on land formerly used for other plantation crops.
On average, each small farmer owns between 2.3ha and 7ha of oil palm plantation.
Dompok said to certify all these farmers with RSPO certification would require them to adhere to best farming practices as they were an important criteria in the production of sustainable palm oil.
Some of the best farming practices cover the use of quality seedlings, the efficient use of fertilisers, good level of disease and pest control as well as quality fruits.
He added that the involvement of smallholders in the production of sustainable palm oil would enhance awareness on environment friendly practices and the importance of safeguarding natural resources, among others.
Before obtaining the RSPO certification, each cluster listed under SPOC will be briefed thoroughly. Potential farmers are identified and their lands are inspected and evaluated by MPOB’s Tunas Officers.
Training is provided before the outcome is audited by MPOB’s internal auditors.
Upon clearance from the audit, deserving clusters will be awarded the RSPO certification.
“We expect the Telupid cluster in Sabah to be the world’s first privately owned small cluster to receive a RSPO certification. This may happen by the middle of next year.” As for the second component of SPOC, the relevant agencies will assist in forming the Sustainable Oil Palm Planters Cooperatives at cluster areas that have between 1,000 and 1,500 small farmers.
Through the cooperatives, the small farmers can sell the FFB produce at a higher rate while purchasing agriculture essentials such as fertilisers at a lower price.
Those at the replanting stage can also take up offers on crop integration.
Based on the type of crops they integrate and plant, these farmers can then earn an extra income of between RM180 and RM883 per hectare every month.
