Tuesday, 30 Mar 2021 07:33 AM MYT
“A total of RM35 million is spent on R&D projects that cover microbial biodiversity studies, insect species composition, socio-economic impact on local communities in Belaga and also palm oil-related downstream strategies for Sarawak,” he said during a dialogue with oil palm industry players and MPOB licensees, which took place at the MBKS Auditorium here yesterday.
“This is in line with the rise in the price of crude palm oil , at above RM3,000 per tonne,” he said. “This would complement the RM30-million allocation by the government through matching grants for the development of mechanisation and automation , as announced in Budget 2021.” “For the implementation of MSPO certification for smallholders, MPOB has established 162 sustainable palm oil clusters nationwide, all of which have been MSPO-certified, involving the participation of 101,759 independent smallholders and covering an area of 403,255 hectares,” said Willie.
On a similar subject, Willie also said MPOB had been in collaboration with the federal and state government agencies managing smallholders, and it had been able to issue certification to all structured smallholders with an area of 724,633 hectares nationwide.