SIBU: The Malaysian Oil Palm Board (MPOB) should do more to help plantation owners and smallholders like what the Rubber Research Institute Malaysia (RRIM) did for the rubber industry.

Two speakers echoed this sentiment at the international seminar on ‘Agronomic Principles and Practices of Oil Palm Cultivation’ here yesterday.

Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, officiated at opening of the seminar on behalf of Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

The three-day seminar attracted over 700 participants from 10 countries.

The first speaker, Dr S Paramananthan, who is also the organising chairman, said plantations and smallholders paid cess to the MPOB to undertake research and development (R&D).

“MPOB is to the palm oil industry like what the RRIM is to the rubber sector. In the old days, RRIM used to provide training courses and advisory services to planters and smallholders,” he said. He said MPOB was not doing what RRIM was for the rubber industry.

Another speaker, Datuk Abdul Hamed Sepawi, who is chairman of Ta Ann Holdings Bhd, said MPOB collected over RM208 million in cess in the state from June 2007 to June 2008.

“One begins to wonder what value-added services have been accorded to the state so far. We are wondering how much R&D have been undertaken to overcome the problems and challenges faced by Sarawak’s oil palm planters including the smallholders.

“Perhaps, it is time for the government to objectively review the cess payment to MPOB,” he said.

Hamed said with the escalating costs of the commodities, energy, services and wages and the incessant labour shortage, the oil palm industry was constantly challenged to boost productivity and efficiency.

“This means we must constantly aim to increase our yields through intensive R&D, particularly on the applications of modern biotechnology techniques together with good plantation management practices and high level of efficiency in our mill operations,” he said.

He said as the oil palm industry was heavily export-oriented, progress in R&D and the technological developments must be made to sustain and enhance competitiveness in the global market.

— Bernama