PUTRAJAYA, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- The Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, YB Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong held a dialogue session with representatives of oil palm plantation companies on Wednesday, 27 September 2017. The objective of the dialogue was to get feedback and views from them on Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO).
This session was attended by more than 120 industry players representing small and medium-sized oil palm estates in Malaysia. The industry players were briefed on the main features of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification Scheme, including the MSPO standards and requirements, as well as certification procedures.
At the briefing, while some concerns were raised, the participants generally pledged their support for the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) and the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) to facilitate the implementation of MSPO certification.
In this regard, YB Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong would like to announce that the Government has agreed to provide another financial incentive to facilitate and help reduce the cost of obtaining MSPO certification.
The agreed extra incentive will be as follows:
a) for estates with planted area above 40.46 ha to 1,000 hectares, to give 70% incentive for the audit cost;
b) for estates above 1,001 hectares, to give 30% incentive for the audit cost; and
c) for processing facilities including mills, refineries and crushers, to give 30% incentive for the audit cost.
Details on the incentives are available at
www.mpob.gov.myAs of August 2017, the total planted area that has been certified under the MSPO Certification Scheme is 245,381hectares. The certified area includes 237,509 hectares under plantation companies, 3,868hectares under organised smallholders, and 4,004 hectares under independent smallholders. In addition, a total of 22 mills have also been MSPO-certified.
YB Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong would like to thank the industry players on behalf of the Ministry, for sharing their opinions and for their participation. The government remains committed to greater inclusion and transparency in palm oil industries, to ensure Malaysian Palm Oil attains international recognition.
Ministy of Plantation Industries and Commodities2 October 2017
SOURCE : Ministy of Plantation Industries and Commodities
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
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--BERNAMA