MPOB Warns Smallholders About Cheap Fertilisers With Low Nutrient Content - MPOB

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- Oil palm smallholders are reminded not to be deceived by the sale of cheap fertilisers with low nutrient content levels, which affect yields and waste resources.

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Director-General Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said the number of such cases is increasingly worrying, with some suppliers selling fertilisers with nutrient content far lower than advertised.

“Smallholders have been cheated by suppliers selling cheap fertilisers with incorrect nutrient content. Their yields are not as expected despite them having spent the money,” he said on Bernama TV’s “Apa Khabar Malaysia”.

Ahmad Parveez said MPOB will assist smallholders via the Oil Palm Agronomy Centre (OPAC) in Lahad Datu, Kluang and Hulu Paka, in addition to another laboratory being completed in Sessang, Sarawak, to test fertiliser authenticity.

“Fertilisation issues are important. However, there may be a need for stricter measures to ensure that the fertilisers supplied comply with and match what is advertised,” he said.

He said fertiliser suppliers also need to be monitored to prevent repeated fraud, which could eventually affect national palm oil production.

He also stressed the need to address the issue of mature trees, noting that 9.7 per cent of Malaysia’s oil palm areas now comprise trees over 25 years old, resulting in reduced yields.

He said oil palm trees that have exceeded their optimum age are not only difficult to harvest, but some are left unmanaged by smallholders due to rising harvesting and labour costs.

“Trees that are more than 25 years old become too tall, making harvesting difficult. Labour costs will also be high, which is why some plantations are left abandoned. This will affect national yields if immediate action is not taken,” he said.

The replanting cost, which ranges between RM15,000 and RM20,000 per hectare, has caused many smallholders to delay the process despite being aware of reduced productivity.

Ahmad Parveez said that although large estates have their own replanting plans, the issue of mature trees is more apparent among smallholders and small-scale estates facing capital constraints and land inheritance problems.

Therefore, he welcomed the government’s efforts in allocating funds for replanting programmes involving smallholders through the Easy Financing Scheme for Oil Palm Smallholder Replanting 2.0, including RM100 million in 2024 and RM50 million this year.

-- BERNAMA