InfoSAWIT, MIRI — Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa) in Serawak protested what it seems like sustainable campaign by European Union to put original Dayak smallholders away from palm oil supply chain.

President Doppa, Napolean R Ningkos said that prestige as Dayak people in Sarawak, who dedicate their life to make palm oil industries as source of living, is now threatened by the increasing protests from Europe that bans palm oil imports.

“The Ambassador of European Union for Malaysia denied palm oil import ban to the continent. We know that the members of European Union ban palm oil from their subsidy scheme which has been delivered to renewable source of energy,” he said, as InfoSAWIT quoted from Malay Mail.

He also mentioned, the people of Dayak came to a conclusion to be the sustainable ones based on the previous policy in Europe. Some smallholders of original Dayak voluntarily spent expensive costs to certify their plantations managed by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) scheme.

“Unfortunately, some smallholders of original Dayak in Seraak could not pay certification process. There were options if they should spend some to get sustainable certification or to pay fee for our children’s education. We prefer saving for our children’s education,” he said in a recent statement.

In the same time, Napolean adored the exclamation to involve indigenous people to fight for climate change in Conference of Parties (COP)15 in the United Nations Convention about convention on biological diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada last year.

He said, based on Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council by the late of 2022, more than 40.500 independent smallholders covered more than 234.812 hectares plantations in Sarawak within palm oil. The smallholders represented 27 percent of the total agriculture in the state.

“For a very long time, the original smallholders who earn their life in cultivating plantations have been ignored in every discussion about their roles in climate change aspect beyond other big issues,” Napoleon said.

He continued, the traditional culture and source of living of Dayak is the perfect example from sustainable people where they live from what the nature provides.

“That is why the people of Dayak are sad and angry to see the campaign which still goes no in Europe to put aside original Dayak smallholders from palm oil supply chain, apart from the fact that they are fully involved in cultivation and most of them do the same for generations,” Napoleon said. (T2)