Licences only for genuine land owners to grow oil palm, sell fresh fruit bunches
KUCHING: Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) will only grant licences to grow and sell fresh fruit bunches to the legitimate estate and smallholding owners once the courts have made the final decision on land ownership in areas under dispute.
A MPOB spokesperson said in a statement as of yesterday, there were several plantations in the state where the ownership of part of their land was being contested in court between the companies and native land owners.
The statement was made in response to a news report in Malaysiakini which said an NGO, Sarawak Natives Rights Network (Tahabas) accused MPOB of not only suppressing the rights of the native oil palm growers, but also protecting the giant oil palm companies in land disputes.
Tahabas president Ramould Siew was reported to have said MPOB sided with companies who ‘illegally’ occupy native customary rights (NCR) land, some of which have been declared as such by the courts.
Two protests have been staged against MPOB recently, one in front of the office of MPOB Kota Samarahan office in Serian last week and the other one in Miri this week.
The MPOB spokesperson, responding to the claim that MPOB is siding with the plantation companies in the areas of dispute in Sarawak, reiterated that the agency enforced rules and regulations under the MPOB Act 1998 (Act 582) professionally to ensure healthy development of the Malaysian oil palm industry.
“MPOB does not discriminate between large plantation companies and smallholders,” said the spokesperson, adding that Tahabas was welcomed to forward any information to MPOB.
The affected companies included TH Pelita Gedong Sdn Bhd, TH Pelita Sadong Sdn Bhd, Boustead Pelita Tinjar Sdn Bhd and IOI Pelita Plantation Berhad, the spokesperson said.
“In the case of land disputes and where land ownership is being resolved by the court, MPOB is waiting for the finality of the court process and abide by the decisions of the court. Legitimate smallholders who do not have licences are requested to apply to MPOB for the licences,” said the spokesperson.