TELUPID: Six hundred and ninety-seven of 7,039 independent smallholders managed under the Sustainable Palm Oil Cluster (SPOC) have reached the fourth level in completing the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certificate.
In order to obtain the certification, smallholders have to pass eight levels of process under the guidance of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
Director of Integration Research and Extension Division (IRED), MPOB, Idris Omar, said to increase productivity among smallholders, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry would group the smallholders into productivity cluster known as Sustainable Palm Oil Cluster (SPOC).
The two main components of SPOC are the RSPO certification and the establishment of a co-operative. RSPO certification exercises will lead to increase the Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) yield and FFB quality.
The smallholders also have to adhere and adopt the good agriculture practices to be certified by RSPO.
In this respect, the FFB yield is expected to increase by at least 30 per cent from present productivity level within three years.
At the same time the quality of the FFB will also increase, said Idris told the press at Institute Perhutanan Sabah (IPS), Telupid, yesterday.
Additional income may also derive from the activities of the co-operative.
This is through better FFB prices when they sell in bulk. Similarly they would also get cheaper price of agricultural inputs.
Those undertaking replanting can engage in crops integration, Idris added.
Meanwhile, they may integrate with various livestock such as goat, cattle and chicken under the matured palms.
Also present at the press conference were Kuamut assemblyman Masiung Banah, who is also the chairman of Tongod Sustainable Palm Oil Co-operative.
Idris believes that the smallholders sector is able to have high income as targeted by government if they are willing to work hard and participate in all the ministry’s activities.