KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification among independent smallholders under the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s (MPOB) supervision has recorded encouraging progress.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said as of September 2026, a total of 162 Sustainable Palm Oil Clusters (SPOC) had obtained MSPO certification, covering more than 181,000 independent smallholders with a combined planted area of 706,647.06 hectares.
Noraini said expanding MSPO certification among smallholders requires continuous guidance and advisory services to ensure that sustainability principles are incorporated into their farming practices.
“We want smallholders not only to obtain the certification but also to understand and practise sustainability principles in their respective farm management,” she said while officiating Madani Agri-commodity Salaam Programme in Ayer Molek, Melaka on Wednesday.
In Melaka, two SPOCs have been certified, involving 2,520 independent smallholders across more than 9,600 hectares of planted areas.
Meanwhile, MPOB is stepping up efforts to raise awareness among independent oil palm smallholders on the importance of protecting biodiversity and environmentally sensitive areas as part of the MSPO certification.
Noraini said training and awareness programmes on high conservation value (HCV) areas are crucial to ensuring that oil palm cultivation does not compromise natural ecosystems and areas of social and cultural significance.
“The national oil palm industry must continue to prove that economic development and environmental conservation can go hand in hand.
“Through MSPO, we ensure that palm oil production practices are carried out responsibly, which includes paying attention to the protection of HCV areas,” she said.
Noraini said the initiative is also important in strengthening market and consumer confidence in Malaysia’s commitment to developing a sustainable palm oil industry.
Meanwhile, MPOB continues to strengthen its outreach through mobile counter programmes and customer engagement sessions to improve smallholders’ access to information, advisory services and industry assistance.
In Melaka, 22 such programmes have been conducted, benefiting 744 oil palm smallholders.
MPOB’s palm oil extension officers also provide guidance on good agricultural practices to help smallholders improve productivity and farm management efficiency.
These efforts are aligned with MPOB’s PALMS 2030 strategic direction, which focuses on productivity, automation, low carbon, marketability and sustainability.
Under the initiative, smallholders are encouraged to improve yields without unnecessary expansion of planted areas while adopting mechanisation and more sustainable farming practices.
The use of harvesting technology such as the Cantas machine is also being promoted to improve operational efficiency where suitable.
Noraini said strengthening agricultural practices, productivity and MSPO compliance would help enhance the competitiveness and marketability of Malaysian palm oil in domestic and international markets.