Over 5.1 mil ha of oil palm plantations certified under MSPO as at August — deputy minister
15/10/2025 (The Edge Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur - A total of 5.13 million hectares of oil palm plantations nationwide have been certified under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) scheme as of Aug 31, 2025, said Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Chan Foong Hin.
The certified area comprises 754,822.28ha (92.2% of independent smallholders), 397,310.80ha (60.11% of organised smallholders) and 3.98 million hectares (96.22% of commercial plantations), he told the Dewan Rakyat during the oral question session on Wednesday (Oct 15).
The MSPO certification, a national sustainability standard introduced by the government, ensures that palm oil is produced responsibly — a key requirement for compliance with the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) to maintain market access in Europe.
The European Union (EU) is currently Malaysia’s third-largest export destination for palm oil, after India and China.
To help smallholders meet EUDR requirements, Chan said the government implemented MSPO 2.0 effective Jan 1, 2025. The upgraded version expands the certification’s scope to cover the entire palm oil supply chain, including processing facilities and traders.
It also introduces stricter standards, such as a deforestation cut-off date of Dec 31, 2019, stronger supply chain traceability, and more comprehensive social and environmental governance requirements.
Chan said the EU officially recognised the MSPO certification in September, placing certified entities “on a strong footing to meet EUDR requirements”.
To further strengthen traceability, Chan said the ministry has developed the e-MSPO digital platform to manage certification data and audits, while the National Palm Oil Commodity Traceability System (SKN) is being developed to integrate existing systems into a single platform.
“SKN will serve as a one-stop centre to support compliance with EUDR and future global sustainability requirements,” he added.