Palm oil taking a leaf from timber trade on sustainability certification, says Kok

Less than half of the palm oil plantations in the country are certified under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme.

KUALA LUMPUR: Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok says the palm oil industry is learning from the timber industry in opting for certification of sustainability.

Speaking at the 20th anniversary conference of the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) here today, she said the number of chain-of-custody certified timber companies had increased to 366 as of Aug 31.

“The annual export of certified timber products comprises of products including sawn timber, plywood, mouldings, doors, builders’ carpentry and joinery, furniture, and veneer and flooring.

“Other products such as paper and wood pellets and briquettes have also been certified, signalling that the industry is getting more innovative and the market for certified products is expanding,” she said.

Certification for the palm oil industry falls under the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council, where palm oil plantations are certified under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme.

In July, Kok said they had only managed to obtain certification for 36% of palm oil plantations in the country.

She attributed this to difficulties in locating the owners of mid-sized plantations whom she said had engaged contractors to manage their plantations.

MTCC CEO Yong Teng Koon meanwhile confirmed that 35% of total reserved forests in the country have received certification so far.

He said while Johor and Kedah have lost their certification, Terengganu and Perak have obtained theirs.

Speaking to reporters after the event, he added that Johor and Kedah are working to regain their certification.

“So far, 4.2 million hectares of natural forests and 900,000 hectares of plantations have been certified,” he said.

MTCS is a national timber certification scheme that provides an independent assessment of forest management practices and audit of timber product manufacturers or exporters. It is meant to ensure that timber products are sourced from sustainably managed forests. - FMT