RSPO ready to publish maps of oil palm plantations within days of approval

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is ready to publish maps of all its Malaysian members' plantations “within days” of getting approval to do so.

In a statement today, RSPO CEO Darrel Webber said his organisation will be engaging the government over the possibility of an early publication of Malaysian RSPO maps.

“Hopefully, this can assist the Malaysian ambition to bring greater transparency to the oil palm sector.

"This, in turn, can bring greater objectivity to discussions on fires and other environmental topics that have sometimes been attributed to this sector,” he said.

He was responding to Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok who yesterday said the federal government is working to release maps of oil palm plantations in Malaysia to the public in a bid to improve transparency.

She said this when asked to respond to Malaysiakini’s report that the RSPO had withheld publishing the location of most RSPO-certified Malaysian palm oil mills and plantations due to concerns over the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).

“The cabinet has decided on March 22, 2019, to open up the oil palm plantation maps.

“The Malaysian Palm Oil Board is working closely with relevant agencies and the Land Offices of each state on this matter,” she told Malaysiakini in a series of text messages yesterday.