.jpg "A worker collects palm oil fruits at a plantation in Kuala Selangor January 2, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
KOTA TINGGI, Oct 2 — Malaysian oil palm settlers believe that the US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) move to impose a Withhold Release Order on palm oil and palm oil products by FGV Holdings Bhd to be a malicious act which is based on unfounded allegations.
Most Felda Air Tawar 2 settlers met by Bernama here today, expressed their surprise and frustration over the move, and also denied the allegation of forced labour involving foreign workers and children.
A first-generation Felda settler, Md Zahir Salikin, 71, who has been cultivating oil palm since 2004, said that during the 16 years of cultivating the crop, he and other settlers had done the work on their own.
According to him, foreign workers in the sector are well looked-after, and they have not been subjected to any form of oppression.
“It is possible that there is incitement from certain parties who want to tarnish the image of the Malaysian palm oil but all these (allegations) are untrue. There is no forced labour, nor is there any child labour.
“I deny these allegations 100 per cent. I myself planted (oil palm) from seeds approved by Felda and the MPOB (Malaysian Palm Oil Board).
“I worked on the crops myself, and my assistants are also from among the settlers, we did not use child labour,” said the father of eight.
Mohd Arfanny Arin, 30 and Nur Hisyam A. Halim, 29, who are second-generation Felda settlers, also could not accept the “lies” in the US CBP’s report, as almost all the oil palm plantation operators in the area have obtained the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification (MPSO).
The certification would not have been possible had there been cases of oppression, physical or sexual violence or the use of child labour in the palm oil production process, Mohd Arfanny said.
According to him, the welfare of the foreign workers from Indonesia, India and Bangladesh are well taken care of, and they have been provided with accommodations, a minimum salary of RM1,200 set by the government, as well as health check-ups and annual leaves, among others.
“For your information, the entire Felda Air Tawar 2 is MSPO-certified and we are audited every year. The auditors are not locals but external contractors who conduct the evaluation and auditing process, so we have to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to get the certification.
“This MSPO certificate is a licence for us to sell our palm oil to foreign countries, so we have to follow the SOPs, which, among other things, requires the protection of the workers’ welfare,” he said.
He added that the second-generation settlers use the “smart farming” method to facilitate and speed up the cultivation work.
On Wednesday, the US CPB imposed the Withhold Release Order, effective September 30, 2020, on FGV products, claiming that it was based on information gathered over a year of investigation into alleged forced labour and concerns about child labour.
FGV, in a statement yesterday, stressed that it has taken concrete steps over the past few years that proves its commitment to respect human rights and uphold labour standards. — Bernama
