01/06/2015 (The Star) - A move is underway to make Sabah a Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) producer by 2025.

A proposal will be submitted to the state government, said Sabah Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan.

The Sabah Forestry Department indirectly owns about 100,000ha of planted oil palm plantations.

Both global demand and downstream industries will increasingly pull the supply chain for CSPO.

“Sabah must act to be ahead of the curve.

“While 12% of global palm oil supply comes from Sabah, larger producers will outpace the state’s output,” Mannan added.

With just over a fifth of its land under oil palm, Sabah produces 30% of Malaysia’s palm oil, while Malaysia and Indonesia collectively supply 85% of global needs.

“With certification, Sabah can build itself as a niche producer of a branded item which is certified palm oil, and compete on the basis of governance and not size,” he added.

Such certification will be in accordance with an internationally recognised standard such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

The certification will mean that palm oil and all palm derivatives in Sabah will be produced in a legal, ecologically sustainable and socially acceptable manner.

“Jurisdictional certification will also draw bright lines to protect forest reserves, wildlife corridors, High Conservation Value Forests, riparian reserves and improve connectivity in a more coherent manner,” said Mannan.

He noted the oil palm sector was now financing forest conservation and restoration in a big way in Sabah.

Oil palm producers on land owned by the department have already been given notice to be RSPO-certified by the end of 2017.