Lok Sabha: Small palm growers compliant MSPO continue to receive productivity incentives

KUALA LUMPUR, 8 Oct: Small private palm growers actively cultivating mature gardens and complying with Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification continue to receive various productivity incentives from the government.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Commodities, Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii said the incentives provided through Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) included full financing of MSPO certification audit costs, agricultural training and technical advisory services.

He explained, it was also a commitment to increase their income as well as income.

"The support also includes a sustainable development guide through the Sustainable Palm Group (SPOC) to help small farmers manage their crops more effectively.

"For small private farmers who are actively cultivating mature gardens and complying with MSPO certification, the ministry through MPOB is continuously providing incentive support including payment of overall MSPO certification audit costs.

"This includes Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training, technical advisory services for farming through the Palm GroupKeep it upAs well as physical incentives such as chemical storage racks and self-defense equipment to decent small gardeners", he said.

He said this while answering a question from Roy Angau Gingkoi (Gabungan Parti Sarawak - Lubok Antu) on the proposal to provide continuous productivity incentives, including aid for agricultural inputs to small private palm plantations in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Meanwhile, Huang said that the government also provided Small Palm Growers Funding Incentive Scheme 2.0 (TSPKS 2.0) under Malaysia's Thirteenth Plan (RMK-13).

Clearly, the scheme aims to help smallholder farmers replace old and unproductive palm trees through replanting aid.

"Among the inputs provided include quality palm seedlings, fertilizer, toxins and garden maintenance equipment as well as control of the onset of Ganoderma disease, especially in the early stages of plant growth", he said. -TVS.