MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Co-ops the Way Forward to Help Small-time Oil Palm Planters
Co-ops the Way Forward to Help Small-time Oil Palm Planters
25/05/2015 (Borneo Post) - The setting up of palm oil cooperative here is a way forward to help small-time oil palm planters in rural areas get fair prices for their fresh fruit bunches (FFBs).
Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said the programme would enable them to work together and make it easy for them to administer their plantations.
“It will help them sell their FFbs in a more effective manner,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
He added that with a cooperative they could transport and sell the FFBs immediately.
This would solve the logistic problems for poorer planters in sending the FFBs to the collection centres.
Earlier, Uggah officiated at the transformation programme and development for small-time oil palm planters in Sarawak at Hotel Sri Simanggang here.
Uggah said research had been carried out to set up this cooperative for smallholders in Sri Aman area like what was done in Saratok.
The cooperative in Saratok helped members sell the FFBs to the factory at a better price, he said.
The government, he added, had given an initial assistance of RM40,000 when the cooperative was set up and would help to manage a loan of RM200,000 as working capital.
He said the objective was to ensure the cooperative was able to pay for the FFBs in cash.
The problem was that when planters sold their FFBs to the mill, they received payment late but when they sold to the collection centre they received immediate payment in cash.
“The setting up of the cooperative will eliminate this problem. There are 10 such cooperatives in Sarawak and seven are already in operation,” he said, adding that the most successful one was in Saratok.
Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Research and Marketing) Datuk Mong Dagang, Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat, Sri Aman Resident Jonathan Lugoh and head of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (Sarawak), Sulim Lumong were among those present at the function.
Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said the programme would enable them to work together and make it easy for them to administer their plantations.
“It will help them sell their FFbs in a more effective manner,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
He added that with a cooperative they could transport and sell the FFBs immediately.
This would solve the logistic problems for poorer planters in sending the FFBs to the collection centres.
Earlier, Uggah officiated at the transformation programme and development for small-time oil palm planters in Sarawak at Hotel Sri Simanggang here.
Uggah said research had been carried out to set up this cooperative for smallholders in Sri Aman area like what was done in Saratok.
The cooperative in Saratok helped members sell the FFBs to the factory at a better price, he said.
The government, he added, had given an initial assistance of RM40,000 when the cooperative was set up and would help to manage a loan of RM200,000 as working capital.
He said the objective was to ensure the cooperative was able to pay for the FFBs in cash.
The problem was that when planters sold their FFBs to the mill, they received payment late but when they sold to the collection centre they received immediate payment in cash.
“The setting up of the cooperative will eliminate this problem. There are 10 such cooperatives in Sarawak and seven are already in operation,” he said, adding that the most successful one was in Saratok.
Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Research and Marketing) Datuk Mong Dagang, Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat, Sri Aman Resident Jonathan Lugoh and head of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (Sarawak), Sulim Lumong were among those present at the function.