SIBU, June 25 – Sarawak is not developing its oil palm industry at the expense of its natural forests, peat soil and the environment, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said yesterday.
It had, for example, set aside 60 per cent of its total land mass for natural forests and planted forests, he said.
Very few countries, particularly those often criticising Sarawak for its oil palm industry development, were able to do this, he said when launching the 10th national seminar on oil palm management challenges of the Incorporated Society of Planters (ISP) here today, attended by some 1,000 people from throughout the country.
“We have developed sustainability in the development of our forest industry and we have done very well. We are able to produce more than nine million cubic metres of logs every year,” he said.
Taib said Sarawak had also been able to convert 20 per cent of its land surface into planted forests to allow it to produce 18 million cubic metres of timber.
Now, he said, the focus was on developing the oil palm industry further, with proper management, research and worldwide markets.
He also said that Sarawak was looking at opening up more of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land for the purpose.
“We have now 180,000 hectares available for the interested investors who should get in contact with our Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA). There is also the big possibility that we are able to offer between one million and 1.5 million hectares more in the next 10 to 20 years,” he said.
Taib said that if this could be done, Sarawak would be at par with neighbouring Sabah in terms of total hectarage under the crop.
NCR land owners must also be convinced that the plantation option was the most efficient and productive in developing their land, besides getting access to the markets and securing fair prices, he said.
Taib asked the industry players to discuss how best to take the industry to greater heights, besides being more aggressive in reaching out to more markets worldwide.
– BERNAMA
