KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities will work closely with the Sarawak Government to coordinate a unified stance in convincing the European Union (EU) that native customary rights (NCR) lands in the State is legally owned through inheritance.
Deputy Minister, Datuk Chan Foong Hin, said the engagement sessions are crucial in light of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires proof of legal land ownership for plantation activities.
“The main issue is that most NCR lands do not have ownership documents like other land systems.
“Therefore, this issue needs to be addressed through a government-to-government (G2G) approach involving the federal and Sarawak governments through the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities.
“Engagement sessions are necessary to convince the EU that NCR lands are also legally owned and inherited,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to Datuk Dr Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong), who asked about measures taken to ensure NCR lands are exempted from EUDR restrictions.
Chan also said the government continues to support smallholders through financial and technical assistance, including free Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification for oil palm plantations below 100 hectares, as well as the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and chemical storage racks.
Earlier, in response to Richard’s question on the status of MSPO 2.0 certification for smallholders and commercial plantations, Chan revealed that as of August 31, 2025, the total certified planted area stood at 754,822.28 hectares, representing 92.20 per cent.
“For organised smallholders (PKT), the total is 397,310.80 hectares, while 3,977,039.92 hectares of commercial plantations have been certified under MSPO, equivalent to 96.22 per cent,” he added.
