PONTIAN: Subsidies, the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, recruitment of foreign workers, and theft of oil palm fresh fruit bunches are among the issues raised by smallholders.
Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodites I
Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng said he would continue to hold discussions with oil palm smallholders and come up with solutions for their problems.
“The smallholders hope the government would resolve these issues, especially in the current challenging economic environment.
“It will have an impact on the country’s finances, but we will see what we can do to ease their burden.
“I will bring up this matter and discuss it with the minister (Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali),” he told reporters after holding a dialogue with oil palm smallholders, organised by the Tanjung Piai Parliamentary Service Centre here yesterday.
Wee said the dialogue was the first of its kind conducted by him in his parliamentary constituency and he would continue to engage smallholders in other areas on a smaller scale in view of Covid-19.
“This will enable us to gather as much input as possible as additional information for the ministry in order to find the solutions,” he said, adding that close ties with oil palm smallholders through dialogues would be maintained as they accounted for one million people nationwide. — Bernama