The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) will be issuing reminders to oil palm smallholders who have yet to obtain the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification starting Jan 1, 2021, via the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
Deputy Minister Willie Mongin said should they fail to obtain the certification, further action such suspension of licences may be imposed starting Jan 1, 2022.

“Licence cancellation and revocation will only be implemented starting Jan 1, 2023, taking into account the developments from time to time,” he said when winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2021 in Dewan Negara today.

He said this in response to a question from Senator Datuk Kesavadas A. Achyuthan Nair regarding the ministry's plan to identify oil palm smallholders who have yet to obtain MSPO certification, and coordination with oil palm manufacturers in terms of production chain.
Willie noted that improvements in the coordination between certified smallholders and the millers in the production chain was made possible through the use of the MSPO tracing system.
“The system is not only capable of identifying data on certified smallholders, it can also identify certified premises in the production chain for traceability and identification purposes.
"Furthermore, this system can also access plantation coordinates and the certification body conducting the audits, as well as the details of the smallholders and industry players," he said.
He said as at end-November, 324,272 smallholders involving 1.07 million hectares of land under oil palm cultivation have obtained MSPO certification.
Meanwhile, in reply to a question from Senator Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol on the study on smart farming, Willie said the MPIC together with the MPOB has been conducting engagement sessions with industry activists to seek for the best approach in the government’s efforts towards automating the plantation sector.
"Currently, the MPIC has taken the initiative to introduce the Cantas motorised cutter machine discount scheme to smallholders.
"Taking into account current needs as well as the labour shortage, the use of cutter machines is seen as one of the best alternatives to help the smallholders in harvesting works," he said, adding that under the scheme, smallholders will be given a RM1,000 discount for every purchase of the machine.

https://www.bernama.com/en/business/news.php?id=1915370
Sumber: Bernama