Putrajaya urges Sabah to allow oil palm estates, mills to operate

CORONAVIRUS | Putrajaya has called upon the Sabah government to allow oil palm estates and mills to operate during movement control order (MCO) period.

Primary Industries and Commodities Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali (photo, above) said he will help the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) to appeal on this to the state Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

"I will write in a second letter to appeal to the chief minister and send it by tomorrow or a day after," he said in the Ruang Bicara programme on Bernama TV last night.

Khairuddin noted that the state government had ordered the closure of oil palm estates and mills in six districts in Sabah when two employees at an estate had been tested positive for Covid-19 after their return from the tabligh gathering held in Sri Petaling early last month.

However, he said, the closures of estates and mills impacted close to 100,000 workers.

Citing the experience in Peninsular Malaysia, Khairuddin gave his assurance to the Sabah government that if estates and mills were to operate according to standard operating procedures, no staff would be infected.

He said Putrajaya allowed oil palm, rubber, cocoa and timber plantations and factories to operate during MCO period.

He said none of the oil palm oil estates and mills has recorded any coronavirus infection.

"We give our assurance that there will be no outbreak (at oil palm estates and mills if these places observe the proper procedure). This will be beneficial to the state government.

"When they just move around at the estates and mills, it would not affect the people out there," Khairuddin said.

If migrant workers at the mills and estates are left without jobs and have to move out, then anything could happen, according to the minister.

On March 31, Malaysian Estate Owners' Association (MEOA) and MPOA voiced concern over the closure of oil palm estates and mills in Kalabakan, Semporna, Kunak, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Kinabatangan in Sabah.

They said the six districts contribute to 75 percent of the palm oil production in Sabah.

Meanwhile, Khairuddin said he is looking forward to the locally produced palm oil-based detergent to kill Covid-19 and make a contribution to the world.

"If we were talking about the lobbies and the attacks of the European (Union) against palm oil, then this is our opportunity to showcase our advantage," he said.

On Feb 11, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) director-general Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said the board was exploring palm oil-based medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) as an anti-viral property, with the aim to boost the immune system to protect the people from the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) attack.

Ahmad Parveez said the process was still at the preliminary stage and more studies needed to be conducted in order to confirm the anti-viral effects of the derivative from palm oil. - Mkini

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