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CSR Malaysia

Sunday
Feb 05th
Home arrow News arrow Malaysia arrow Malaysia: Plantations come under fire
Malaysia: Plantations come under fire Print E-mail
Saturday, 01 August 2009

Planters and loggers in East Malaysia have been criticised for prohibiting locals from accessing concession areas. Sarawak Land Development Minister, Datuk Seri Dr James Jemut Masing, was reported to have said that locals needed to pass through the concession areas to reach their homes. When they were prohibited from passing through, friction between both parties was inevitable, Masing was reported to have said.

According to Masing, staff of the corporations have even stopped the local elected representatives from entering the area on their way to visit their constituencies.

"The negative attitude of the logging and plantation companies has been part of the reason why rural settlers in the state oppose their operations," Masing was quoted to have said.

Meanwhile, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, was reported to have said that timber and plantation companies should not expect to wait for the government to direct them to be friendly and cooperative towards local settlers, but to initiate it themselves.

On another matter, Dompok expressed that greater improvement is possible in yields of fresh fruit bunches (FBB), especially by supporting smallholders, whose smallholdings are located near the big plantations.

Besides inculcating good agricultural practices (GAP), like not cutting back on fertilisers although prices of their crops may be low, the other is to get the big plantations to supply better planting materials to the smallholders as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Dompok said the big plantations have every reason to support the smallholders as the latter would have to send their FFBs to the palm oil mills.
 

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