Ongoing productivity incentives for oil palm smallholders

KUALA LUMPUR: The government continues providing productivity incentives and agricultural input support to private oil palm smallholders nationwide, including those in Sarawak.

The assistance aims to improve productivity and income among smallholders through quality planting materials, fertiliser, farm maintenance equipment and sustainable certification support.

Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii said the government remained committed to strengthening smallholders’ welfare through continuous support.

“The government is continuously committed to empowering and safeguarding the welfare of private smallholders nationwide, including in Sarawak, through various productivity incentives,” he said in a press statement on Thursday.

He said the assistance also included continuous agricultural input support aimed at increasing yields and improving the income of private oil palm smallholders.

“The initiative is being implemented under the 13th Malaysia Plan through the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities’ replanting financing scheme.

Huang said the Smallholder Oil Palm Replanting Incentive Financing Scheme 2.0 would assist smallholders in replacing old, unproductive oil palm trees.

“The scope of input assistance under this scheme includes quality oil palm seedlings, fertiliser, pesticides and equipment for maintaining farms,” he said.

He said the assistance also covered measures to control Ganoderma attacks, particularly during the early stages of oil palm growth.

“For smallholders actively managing mature plantations and complying with Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification, further support is provided through the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.

“Support includes covering the full cost of MSPO certification audits, Good Agricultural Practice training and technical advice on responsible fertilisation,” Huang said.

He added that eligible smallholders could also receive physical incentives, including chemical storage racks and personal protective equipment for safer farm operations.

According to Huang, the government had already provided and was continuing productivity incentives for private smallholders with efforts to further strengthen support.

The statement was issued following a Dewan Rakyat oral question by Lubok Antu MP Roy Angau Gingkoi on Thursday.

Roy had asked whether the government planned to provide continuous productivity incentives, including fertiliser assistance, to active private oil palm smallholders complying with MSPO certification.

The government’s response reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to supporting private smallholders while improving plantation productivity, farm management and income generation across Sarawak.

The measures cover both replanting assistance and support for mature plantations, providing different forms of assistance according to smallholders’ operational needs.