JOHOR BARU, May 14 — The sustainable oil palm planters cooperatives (KPSM), which undertake fresh fruit bunches (FFB) trading activities through 65 weighing centres nationwide, recorded sales of 82,612.37 tonnes as of March 31, 2022.

Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng said the participation of smallholders in KPSM was aimed at raising palm cultivation productivity and smallholders’ income via the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices.

“The government established KPSM to assist in lowering transportation costs and securing higher FFB prices, as well as driving income generation and dividend distribution among cooperative members,” he said in a statement today.

As of March this year, the number of KPSM formed nationwide reached 69 -- 24 in Peninsular Malaysia, 27 in Sabah, and 18 in Sarawak.

Wee said his ministry, through the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, was actively working on Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification activities nationwide through training programmes, briefings and promotions for the smallholder sector as well as on easing their burden.

According to him, the ministry also offers aid such as the Livestock and Oil Palm Integration Incentive Scheme (ITe), Oil Palm Smallholder Replanting (TSPKS) and Oil Palm Smallholder Agricultural Input (IPPKS) easy financing schemes, and B40 Oil Palm Smallholder Cash Crop Programme (TKB40).

“As of March 31, 2022, independent smallholders accounted for planted areas in Johor totalling 159,487 hectares. Out of that, 44,824 smallholders cultivating 118,092 hectares — or 74 per cent of the total planted area — had been MSPO-certified.

“The various incentives provided by the ministry for oil palm smallholder development are expected to contribute to the increase in the productivity and quality of palm product output as well as the smallholders’ income,” he added. — Bernama