KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — FGV Holdings Bhd expects to resolve the withhold release order (WRO) issued by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in six to nine months after the appointment of an independent auditor to assess its operations.

Head of group sustainability division Nurul Hasanah Ahamed Hassain Malim said nine proposals from professional audit firms, non-governmental organisations, and organisations familiar with certification audit exercises have been received.

Nurul Hasanah said the group has taken all necessary steps towards lifting the WRO issued on September 30, 2020 against palm oil and palm oil products made by FGV and its subsidiaries and joint ventures.

The WRO means FGV’s products cannot enter and be sold in the US market.

"Hence we need to undertake the audit work that has been required by the US CBP and there are certain procedures and criteria that have been outlined by CBP that we must ensure that any appointed auditor is able to deliver,” she told the media at the announcement of FGV’s second quarter performance today.

She said FGV has also continued to enhance its labour practices to address the WRO issue.

The plantation group has outlined several actions to improve labour initiatives under its umbrella activities with a group called Fair Labor Association.

"We have been working together with a few other NGOs, also under the umbrella initiatives, including with migrant rights group Tenaganita to enhance the awareness of our migrant workers with regard to their rights.

"We are also currently working on enhancing our mechanism to ensure our workers have a direct avenue to lodge their complaints and issues through technology to the management and we are improving our recruitment process,” she said. — Bernama