MPOA Website

By Hanim Adnan (Star, Jan 10, 2011)

Malaysian Palm Oil Association Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mamat Salleh said leakage of the subsidised cooking oil to the non-targeted groups in Malaysia was alarmingly high, representing about half of the 70,000 tonnes quota per month.

Given the low price of cooking oil, which was targetted at the domestic household consumers, he claimed that more undeserving groups like those in the retailing, commercial sector and even smugglers were taking advantage by shipping the subsidised item abroad to reap better profits from higher prices globally.

The Government spends about RM1.7bil annually to subsidise domestic cooking oil. This year, he expects the cooking oil subsidy to be over RM2bil given the higher price of processed palm olein (which is use to make cooking oil) which was at RM3,880 per tonne as at Jan 4.

By Ooi Tee Ching - NST Jan 6, 2011

Oil palm and rubber plantation firms will now have to fork out another RM50 million to insurance companies.

Oil palm and rubber plantation firms, which are already footing the medical bills of their foreign workers, will now have to fork out another RM50 million to insurance companies, following the Health Ministry's new ruling.Effective January 1 this year, the Health Ministry requires all employers to pay for foreign workers' medical insurance.

In an interview with Business Times, the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) chief executive Datuk Mamat Salleh said the new ruling makes its members pay a second time and "at a very high fee for what we have already been providing to foreign workers".

Y. Bhg. Dato’ Abdul Wahab Maskan, Registered Representative of Sime Darby Plantation Sdn. Bhd. was unanimously elected as the Chairman of MPOA for the period from October 2010 to April 2012 at the Council Meeting held on 13th October 2010. Dato’ Abdul Wahab is the Group Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Sime Darby Group of Companies.

The full Council members for the term 2010-2012 are as follows:

YB Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities on behalf of the Malaysian palm oil industry made a donation of RM1,443,819 to the Pakistan flood. Also present at the ceremony were the High Commissioner of Pakistan H. E. Masood Khalid and representatives of companies who had contributed to the fund.

In the wake of the catastrophic floods that began in August 2010, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) took the initiative to start an emergency fund raising exercise for those affected by this natural disaster by making an initial contribution of USD200,000. In support of this fund, MPOA members and palm oil companies have contributed generously to this worthy cause. The companies include Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, FELDA Holdings, Sime Darby Bhd, IOI Corporation, Wilmar, Kulim ,Malaysian Kuwaiti Investment Co., Bukit Asa Sdn. Bhd., Yapidmas Plantation, Golden Land Berhad and SALCRA.