PLANTATION MINISTRY DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT - CHAN

TAWAU, April 10 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) is deeply concerned about addressing human-elephant conflicts in the plantation sector, particularly in Sabah, said its Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin.

He said that the government, through KPK, had established funds, including the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF), to address conflicts involving elephants and other wildlife, including orangutans.

“The fund was established for conservation programmes, such as the MPOGCF wildlife project in the Sungai Pin area, Sukau Kinabatangan, in collaboration with Sawit Kinabalu,” he told reporters after officiating the Smallholder Palm Oil Replanting Financing Incentive Scheme (TSPKS 2.0), here, today.

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He said that the decapitated carcass of a Borneo pygmy elephant was found in an oil palm plantation at Bukit Tukok Estate in Kalabakan, as reported by the media yesterday, which is deeply saddening for the ministry.

He expressed confidence that the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment and its Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew are taking strict action on this matter and that KPK is ready to cooperate in addressing the issue.

Sabah is home to the Borneo elephant or Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), which is categorised as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, due to its small and declining population, currently estimated to be only around 1,000 in its natural habitat.

Meanwhile, Chan urged oil palm smallholders in the country to take advantage of the RM100 million fund, allocated by the government, for the TSPKS 2.0 programme this year.

“The allocation of funds, in the form of matching grants to private smallholders, will be managed by Agrobank. This scheme is expected to benefit 1,500 smallholders, with a target of replanting 5,900 hectares of palm oil plantations," he said.

He added that information on the scheme, and how to apply, can be obtained at any Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) branch office, and the application form can be downloaded via the MPOB website or Agrobank branches.

“So far, 95 applications have been approved, covering an area of 446.76 hectares of palm oil plantations in Tawau,” he said.

Meanwhile, MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir encouraged smallholders to join Koperasi Penanaman Sawit Mampan (KPSM), to benefit from the various offerings available.

“There are 70 KPSMs nationwide, with 28 of them in Sabah. The purpose of establishing these cooperatives is to unite smallholders for the implementation of good agricultural practices, under the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification,” he added.

-- BERNAMA