KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 88.1%, or 5.1 million hectares of the 5.9 million hectares of land used for oil palm cultivation in the country, has obtained the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification as of November 19, said the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry.
Deputy Minister Willie Mongin said 100% of oil palm plantations in Sarawak are MSPO-certified, followed by Kelantan (95.5%) and Pahang (94.75%), while certification in other states is within the range of 40% to 80%.
“However, we cannot deny that the European Union is still on the anti-palm oil campaign, which we are currently combating, as it is unfair to our oil palm plantations,” he said when winding up the committee-level Budget 2021 debate for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the ministry will focus on promoting the commodity guided by the RM20 million allocation in the Budget, noting that this is RM7 million lower than the RM27 million allocated this year.
“Many friends asked about the reduction. In actual fact, we at the ministry will conduct more digital promotion, taking a new approach from that of the previous administration.
“By doing so, we will be able to help the government save money, which can be used for other purposes, for (the benefit of) the people.” – Bernama, December 1, 2020
