KUCHING, Oct 23: Approximately 58,000 independent oil palm smallholders in Sarawak could face difficulties accessing international markets because of land documentation gaps under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), prompting Works Minister Dato’ Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi to urge the State government to accelerate the survey and titling of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Nanta expressed concern over the Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association’s (DOPPA) remarks that oil palm smallholders in Sarawak could face threats to their livelihoods under the EUDR, scheduled for implementation next year, if they fail to meet its requirements.
Nanta said affected smallholders, particularly native communities cultivating NCR land without formal land documentation, risk being disadvantaged by increasingly stringent international trade requirements despite working hard to develop their land and support their families.
