Production of sustainable palm oil swells to 1.3 million tonnes/yr
The number of oil palm plantations certified to supply sustainable palm oil is beginning to grow rapidly. As of February 6, 2009, 27 oil mills and their respective supply bases had been certified by RSPO‐approved certification bodies, as witnessed by recent public summary reports published on the RSPO’s website. If average outputs of all certified supply bases are added up, annual production capacity of RSPO‐certified crude palm oil and palm kernel oil now approaches 1.3 million tonnes meaning that this month alone, more than 100,000 tonnes of certified oil will be available for purchase. The pace of new certifications will grow further by the approval of new certification bodies, including Rheinland Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., based in Selangor, Malaysia, which was added late November, 2008. Certified producers thus far include United Plantations Bhd, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd, Sime Darby Plantations Sdn Bhd, PT Musim Mas, PPB Oil Palms Bhd, Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd and IOI Corporation Bhd.
Malaysian Peninsula leads in RSPO‐certified acreage
Growth in palm oil production capacity is mirrored by a rapid increase of the area covered by RSPO‐certified oil palm plantations. According to certification reports published thus far, plantation owners and small holders now manage sustainable oil palm plantings on 200,000 hectares (2,000 square kilometres, 770 square miles), roughly the equivalent of an area 45 kilometres wide and 45 kilometres long. Most of the mills certified up until today are located in Malaysia, both on the Peninsula and on Sabah, the northern part of the island of Borneo. Two of the certified mills are based on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, while four are located in West New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea. Certified producers have shown independent certifying bodies time‐bound plans to ensure their plantations and mills elsewhere will qualify for RSPO certification as well. These other production units are located on the Solomon Islands and on the Indonesian islands of Sarawak, Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Sulawesi.
2009 Roundtable and General Assembly meetings planned
A note for your diaries: the seventh meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT7) will be held from November 2 to November 4, 2009, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The venue for the Roundtable meeting will be Hotel Istana. The same hotel will also play host to the sixth General Assembly meeting of RSPO members (GA6), which will be held on November 4, 2009.
E‐mail newsle er for members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.pdf
