KUCHING, The Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa) has welcomed the federal government’s RM1.4 billion allocation for oil palm replanting under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), calling it a timely boost to rejuvenate ageing plantations, especially for independent smallholders in Sarawak.
Doppa said the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities’ commitment reflects the government’s dedication to sustaining and strengthening Malaysia’s palm oil industry.
Citing 2023 data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Doppa noted that Sarawak is home to 256,738 hectares of oil palm managed by 46,584 independent smallholders – the largest planted area in the country.
“It is crucial that Sarawak is prioritised for special allocations and targeted replanting programmes,” it said, warning that the current replanting rate of just two per cent could impact both local and global supply chains if left unaddressed.
The association urged the ministry to streamline application and approval processes, pointing out that more than 70 per cent of smallholders in Sarawak are underperforming due to ageing palms. It cited slow land status verification as a major hurdle to releasing incentives and soft loans via Agrobank, recommending that the Department of Agriculture Sarawak and MPOB Sarawak be used as direct channels to speed up the disbursement of replanting scheme incentives.
With the new allocation, Doppa proposed replanting about 77,000 hectares – equivalent to 9.3 per cent of the 824,404 hectares of smallholder oil palm nationwide.
It also called for incentives for smallholders who replant on their own initiative, with MPOB verifying the work. “Encouraging self-driven replanting will accelerate the process and ensure grants meet their objectives without wastage,” it added.
