Malaysian Oil Palm Plantation Firms Urged to Plan for Replanting to Sustain Productivity

The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) is urging oil palm plantation owners and companies to plan for replanting in order to sustain productivity with mature trees that provide optimal fresh fruit bunches (FFB) yields, the Bernama reported in Kuala Lumpur on March 12. Deputy Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that scheduled replanting programs to reduce the acreage of old trees would help maintain farm productivity with mature trees aged 10 to 15 years.

According to Chan, the average replanting rate for oil palm estates in 2014-2024 period was only about 2.2 percent, much lower than the recommended rate of four to five percent. “However, based on statistics from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, the average FFB yield in estates has shown an increase in the past three consecutive years despite the replanting rate remaining below the recommended level.  The FFB yield increased from 15.47 MT per hectare in 2021 to 15.49 MT in 2022, 15.79 MT in 2023 and 16.70 MT in 2024.”

Chan said KPK will therefore continue to implement strategic measures to increase FFB yields in estates and ensure that Malaysia’s palm oil industry remains competitive and continues to contribute to the national economic growth.