Minister says plantation owners maintain ageing trees to ensure short-term income.

Malaysian, Indonesian plantations face shrinking yields, possible hikes in prices of essential product.

Plantations minister says this ensures companies abide by Malaysia’s strict standards

BANGI, June 19 — The Plantation and Commodities Ministry has ordered an immediate engagement session with palm oil industry players following concerns over the implementation of a 5 per cent Sales and Service Tax (SST) on the oleochemical sector starting next month.

JAKARTA, June 9 — Indonesia plans to develop an oil palm plantation in the Boven Digoel regency of the South Papua province, to strengthen economic resilience and energy independence, according to its Defence Ministry.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — AmInvestment Bank Bhd has maintained its neutral rating on the plantation sector amid the recent “standard risk” classification by the European Commission.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The palm oil sector is a key driver for Malaysia’s inclusive economic development and global sustainability, making it the country’s most valuable agricultural export, said the Datametrics Research and Information Centre (DARE).

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Malaysia must shift to high-value products like oleochemicals and biodiesel rather than just relying on crude palm oil (CPO) exports without a solid value-added strategy, said Paya Besar MP Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah.

SHAH ALAM, Jan 16 — The government is open to considering applications for foreign workers specifically for the oil palm plantation sector, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 — The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) enforcement officers will conduct surprise inspections on oil palm buyers starting in early 2025 to ensure the accuracy of weighing scales to protect the interests of smallholders.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — The government has targeted oil palm replanting on 77,000 hectares of land over the next five years (2025 to 2029) to ensure the palm sector remains sustainable and competitive by implementing an oil palm replanting programme, specifically among smallholders.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — Malaysia plans to start producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in 2027, with an initial production capacity of one million metric tonnes per year, Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani said today.

KUALA KANGSAR, Nov 19 — Orang Asli intending to sell oil palm fruit but lacking land grants and licences must refer to their state governments, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.

KUALA KANGSAR, Nov 19 — Palm oil mills in the country have been urged to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology for oil processing, thus lowering costs and increasing revenue.

JAKARTA, Nov 11 — Consumer brands including Nestle and Procter & Gamble said they conducted investigations after an environmental group said palm oil sourced from an illegally cleared wildlife reserve in Indonesia may have found its way into their supply chains.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The Plantation and Commodities Ministry will discuss with the Finance Ministry (MOF) to increase the assistance provided in the oil palm replanting grant to boost productivity among smallholders.

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 23 — The Plantation and Commodities Ministry presented a proposal to the Finance Ministry last week to revise the palm oil windfall profit levy (WPL).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has successfully mapped around 70 per cent of independent smallholders as part of its project to chart oil palm plantation coverage across the country.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — The government does not plan to reinforce the oil palm replanting programme via grants for now, the Plantation and Commodities Ministry said.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — The oil palm industry is facing problems or is being affected after the government froze the hiring quota of foreign workers due to the surplus of foreign workers, which actually applies to the manufacturing and service sectors.