MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Uggah Holds Dialogue With Palm Oil Stakeholders
Uggah Holds Dialogue With Palm Oil Stakeholders
24/02/2016 (Borneo Post) - Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas recently held a dialogue with plantation industry stakeholders during a seminar here organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).
The stakeholders had the opportunity to engage with Uggah to voice their concerns on issues plaguing the industry today during the candid session.
The panel fielded lengthy questioning from the floor on issues ranging from the recent foreign worker levy increase, to falling oil extraction rates and production yields in Sarawak.
Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (Soppoa) chairman Datu Vasco Sabat Singkang raised the issue of the effect of leading agribusiness group Wilmar International’s new supply chain policy.
“What is the latest impact on the no deforestation and no peat (policy) in Sarawak? Are there any statistics or response from Wilmar by this year, to see what is the impact since the announcement? he questioned.
Vasco was referring to Wilmar’s ‘no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation’ policy to take effect this year, whereby Wilmar would only source CPO from sustainable oil palm plantations.
In response a Wilmar representative declared, “No, we have never stopped. We are still buying. We are engaging all the stakeholders including Soppoa members, they are meeting us, and we are working closely. We never stopped, and we will never stop. We are working closely with all the suppliers.”
National Association for Small Holders (Nash) president Datuk Aliasak Ambia expressed concern for the lack of education support offered by MPOB to smallholders.
He opined that while smallholders have received some funding from the government for replanting programmes, they lacked the knowledge and skill to carry out replanting efficiently to maximise yield.
Aliasak suggested MPOB look into this matter to help improve productivity overall.
Malaysian Estate Owners Association (MEOA) president Joseph Tek expressed his opinion that the Windfall Profit Levy — enforced on the industry in 2008 — is unfair.
“With the current prices around RM2,300 to RM2,400, our costs have really gone up and if the levy gets activated at RM2,500 for the peninsula and RM3,000 for Sabah and Sarawak, it is really not applicable,” he said, appealing to Uggah to raise the issue with the government.
Tek also voiced concern about a recent article, ‘The Oily Truth’, published in Singapore’s The Straits Times, which reported misleading and damaging information on the affect of palm oil on heart disease.
On this point, Uggah said he would approach the relevant minister in Singapore for a discussion and clarification, saying there may have been a misunderstanding.
Uggah also assured those present that he is working closely with his Indonesian counterparts in the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), which is aimed at ensuring price stability and to develop the downstream industry of the commodity.
The stakeholders had the opportunity to engage with Uggah to voice their concerns on issues plaguing the industry today during the candid session.
The panel fielded lengthy questioning from the floor on issues ranging from the recent foreign worker levy increase, to falling oil extraction rates and production yields in Sarawak.
Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (Soppoa) chairman Datu Vasco Sabat Singkang raised the issue of the effect of leading agribusiness group Wilmar International’s new supply chain policy.
“What is the latest impact on the no deforestation and no peat (policy) in Sarawak? Are there any statistics or response from Wilmar by this year, to see what is the impact since the announcement? he questioned.
Vasco was referring to Wilmar’s ‘no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation’ policy to take effect this year, whereby Wilmar would only source CPO from sustainable oil palm plantations.
In response a Wilmar representative declared, “No, we have never stopped. We are still buying. We are engaging all the stakeholders including Soppoa members, they are meeting us, and we are working closely. We never stopped, and we will never stop. We are working closely with all the suppliers.”
National Association for Small Holders (Nash) president Datuk Aliasak Ambia expressed concern for the lack of education support offered by MPOB to smallholders.
He opined that while smallholders have received some funding from the government for replanting programmes, they lacked the knowledge and skill to carry out replanting efficiently to maximise yield.
Aliasak suggested MPOB look into this matter to help improve productivity overall.
Malaysian Estate Owners Association (MEOA) president Joseph Tek expressed his opinion that the Windfall Profit Levy — enforced on the industry in 2008 — is unfair.
“With the current prices around RM2,300 to RM2,400, our costs have really gone up and if the levy gets activated at RM2,500 for the peninsula and RM3,000 for Sabah and Sarawak, it is really not applicable,” he said, appealing to Uggah to raise the issue with the government.
Tek also voiced concern about a recent article, ‘The Oily Truth’, published in Singapore’s The Straits Times, which reported misleading and damaging information on the affect of palm oil on heart disease.
On this point, Uggah said he would approach the relevant minister in Singapore for a discussion and clarification, saying there may have been a misunderstanding.
Uggah also assured those present that he is working closely with his Indonesian counterparts in the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), which is aimed at ensuring price stability and to develop the downstream industry of the commodity.