YB Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong officiated the “Program Jelajah MSPO” which was held at the Arena Square, Teluk Intan Perak.
This event was attended by more than 3,000 participants mainly comprising of oil palm smallholders and industry players. During this event, various exhibitions related to sustainability efforts in palm oil industry by Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC), Malaysian Palm Oil (MPOC) and Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) were held. Parents and family members took the opportunity to participate in various fun and interactive activities.
The programme held in conjunction with “Program Jelajah MSPO” was celebrated on 1 May aimed at increasing the awareness and disseminate important information on MSPO Certification as well as provide a platform for interaction relating to MSPO implementation.
The Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification Scheme will be made mandatory by December 2019. The timeline for implementation of mandatory MSPO certification will be implemented in three stages. Plantation companies that are already certified under other sustainability schemes will have to obtain MSPO certification by 31 December 2018. Other companies without any sustainability certification will have to obtain MSPO certification by June 30, 2019 while smallholders, both independent and organised, need to obtain MSPO certification by December 31, 2019. To increase the uptake of MSPO certification, the Malaysian government has made available financial assistance to oil palm smallholders, growers and processing facilities. The incentives ranges from 30% to 100% of the total MSPO audit cost.
As of March 2018, the total planted area that has been certified under the MSPO Certification Scheme is 802,623.56 ha. The certified area includes 792,274.03 ha under plantation companies, 19,110.12 ha under organised smallholders, and 10,349.53 ha under independent smallholders. In addition, a total of 78 palm oil mills have also been MSPO-certified.
Participants were encouraged to contact MPOCC for more information on the implementation of the MSPO Certification at www.mpocc.org.my or your nearest MPOB TUNAS office at www.mpob.gov.my for more information on support for smallholder and incentives for MSPO Certification.