Mandatory MPSO certification for oil palm industry by 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia aims for all oil palm planters in the country to have the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MPSO) certification by 2019.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong (pix) said it would also be compulsory for large estates to be MPSO certified by December 2018, and smallholders with an estate size of 40ha and below, by December 2019.
He added of the total planted area of 5.7 million hectares, only four per cent is currently MPSO certified.
"This is the way forward for the Malaysia's oil palm industry. It also shows we are very serious about good agricultural practices and the environment.
"To me, it is also about branding for Malaysia's palm oil. When all have the certification, it adds a premium to the value," he told reporters before attending the Gerakan Youth Election Camp at Menara PGRM here, today.
The MPSO certification scheme, introduced in 2015, is currently being implemented on a voluntary basis.
In a related development, Mah said he would be visiting Brussels next month with his Indonesian counterpart, to engage with the European Union Parliament on the latter's recent decision to ban the import of palm oil from Malaysia.
He said the decision was made based on inaccurate information and there is a need to provide the correct facts and explanation to the bloc.
The EU is the largest importer of Malaysian palm oil and palm oil products with RM10 billion in revenue generated last year. — Bernama