PETALING JAYA: Some 58,000 oil palm smallholders in Sarawak could be locked out of international markets under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) if the issue of native customary rights land titles is not resolved quickly.
Works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said many native smallholders risked being left behind as their NCR land lacked proper documentation, making it difficult to meet the EU's requirements on land legality and traceability.
Responding to concerns raised by the Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association today, the Kapit MP said the state government must act quickly to ensure rural communities continue to gain from developing their land, especially amid favourable palm oil prices.
“These are hardworking people who are making every effort to productively utilise their own land to earn an honest living and provide for their families,” he said in a statement.
“They are taking the initiative to improve their livelihoods, raise their household incomes, and secure a better future for their children.
“Their efforts should be appreciated, encouraged and supported, not jeopardised by the absence of formal land documentation.”
On Sunday, the association's president, Napolean Ningkos, said the EUDR, which will kick in next year, could threaten the income of smallholders, who are not able to produce the required land documentation, mapping and geolocation data.
Nanta welcomed an earlier commitment by the state's food industry, commodity and regional development minister, Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, to work with the federal plantation and commodities ministry and the Malaysian palm oil certification council in seeking a special exemption from the EU for NCR land under the EUDR.
He urged the state government to update the public on the appeal and any response from the EU.
He also stressed that efforts to secure an exemption must go hand in hand with faster land surveys, documentation and title issuance.
“One should not be pursued at the expense of the other,” he said.