Fauziah Arshad – OPIEJ https://opiej.mpob.gov.my Oil Palm Industry Economic Journal Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:45:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 A Comparative Analysis of Agricultural Practices, Costs and Yields of Pre- and Post-Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification for Independent Smallholders in Malaysia https://opiej.mpob.gov.my/a-comparative-analysis-of-agricultural-practices-costs-and-yields-of-pre-and-post-malaysian-sustainable-palm-oil-mspo-certification-for-independent-smallholders-in-malaysia/ Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:43:43 +0000 https://opiej.mpob.gov.my/?p=1380 Read more]]> The study aims to assess the monetary costs borne by independent smallholders associated with Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification and the benefits of MSPO certification for these smallholders, specifically with regard to yield improvement and good agricultural practices. Ensuring a supply of sustainably produced palm oil is essential as palm oil contributes significantly to the social and economic development of Malaysia. The contribution by independent smallholders is very significant because they account for 0.99 million hectares (16.7%) of the total oil palm planted area in the country. Based on the findings of this study, it was observed that MSPO certification resulted in an increase in fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yield from 17.88 t/ha/yr before certification to 21.24 t/ha/yr after MSPO certification. Also, MSPO certification led to an improved adoption of good agricultural practices and increased fertiliser use from 4.18 kg/ha/yr before certification to 6.53 kg/ha/yr after certification. Even though the increase in fertiliser use increased costs for the independent smallholders after MSPO certification, the FFB yield was also improved, resulting in a net additional income of RM489/ha. Nevertheless, these findings were based on a limited number of samples, taking into consideration that the number of independent smallholders who were MSPO-certified at the time of the study (2017/18) was very small, i.e., less than 1% of the total number of independent smallholders in Malaysia.

Keywords: MSPO certification, independent smallholders, FFB yield, good agricultural practices, cost of sustainable palm oil production

]]> Impact of International Food Standards on Market Access for Palm Oil and Palm Oil Products https://opiej.mpob.gov.my/impact-of-international-food-standards-on-market-access-for-palm-oil-and-palm-oil-products/ Wed, 29 Aug 2018 00:40:01 +0000 https://opiej.mpob.gov.my/?p=418 Read more]]> Increasing global trade has led to the development of international food standards, codes of practice, guidelines and recommendations under the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The objectives of CAC are to develop standards, codes of practice and guidelines for foods moving in international trade in order to protect the health of consumers and to facilitate trade by ensuring fair trade practices. The standards developed by CAC have become even more important after 1st January 1995 with the implementation of the World Trade Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitory Measures (the SPS Agreement) and the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement. Both of these agreements recognise the international standards, guidelines and recommendations of Codex Alimentarius as the reference points for facilitating international trade and resolving trade disputes. In view of the fact that more and more countries are aligning their national standards with those of Codex Alimentarius, Codex standards have serious implications on exports of palm oil and palm oil products. This paper highlights the Codex system and reveals how the Codex standards impact international trade in palm oil and palm oil products.

Keywords: international food standards, Codex Alimentarius Commision, SPS agreement, TBT agreement

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