Smallholders in Sabah urged to increase oil palm replanting rate

KOTA KINABALU (July 21): Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Chan Foong Hin has called on the oil palm industry players in Sabah, especially smallholders, to increase the replanting rate for aging oil palm areas to maintain the state’s palm oil productivity.

He stated that the average palm oil yield in Sabah until April 2024 had decreased by 4% compared to the same period in 2023.

“The performance of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) yield in Sabah from January to April 2024 was recorded at 4.79 tonnes per hectare, a decline of 4.0% compared to 4.99 tonnes per hectare for the same period in 2023.

“Meanwhile, for the period from January to April 2024, the FFB yield in Peninsular Malaysia was 5.18 tonnes per hectare, an increase of 19.4% compared to the same period in 2023, which was 4.34 tonnes per hectare. In Sarawak, the FFB yield increased by 8.7% from 3.80 tonnes per hectare to 4.13 tonnes per hectare,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

According to Chan, the main factor for the decline in FFB yield in Sabah was the reduction in the area of fully mature oil palm trees, which are between nine to 18 years old, with an estimated FFB productivity of around 20 to 24 tonnes per hectare per year.

“Based on statistics from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in December 2023, the percentage of fully mature oil palm trees in Sabah was estimated at 33.5% compared to 33.7% in the previous year.

“Oil palm trees that have not reached full maturity or are in old age usually produce lower FFB yields, directly affecting the FFB yield for that period. By comparison, the percentage of fully mature oil palm trees in Peninsular Malaysia is 39.4%, and in Sarawak, it is 56.1%,” he added.

Therefore, Chan urged smallholders in Sabah to expedite the replanting process for aging oil palm areas.
“For eligible smallholders, it is recommended to apply for the funds provided by the government for the implementation of the Palm Oil Smallholders Replanting Financing Incentive Scheme (TSPKS) 2.0, worth RM100 million for replanting works.

“As of July 12, 2024, a total of 413 smallholders with a planted area of 1,725 hectares involving financing worth RM26.93 million had been approved by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB),” he said.

Chan also noted that the low FFB yield in Sabah for the period from January to April 2024 was also influenced by the El Niño phenomenon and mealy bug attacks.

“Based on current data, mealy bug attacks can affect palm oil production by up to 5%. MPOB, along with the industry and the Sabah Department of Agriculture, has taken appropriate measures to address this issue.

“The MPOB’s TUNAS team is also identifying and compiling a list of smallholder oil palm plantations affected by insect attacks to provide advisory services on control measures to prevent the spread to other areas,” he said.