Pushing for sustainable farming

Leveraging others: Newleaf could tie-up with major plantation companies to plant more durian trees.

THE rapid expansion of the palm oil industry in the 1980s saw vast swathes of land taken up for oil palm plantations over the last few decades. Up until 2018, the total oil palm planted area in Malaysia is estimated at 5.85 million ha, the bulk of these plantations are in Sabah and Sarawak.

In recent times, the plantation industry has been under the spotlight over negative press coverage. Critics are accusing the industry of irresponsible practices, loss of natural forest reserves and for replacing the diverse natural ecosystem with a monoculture crop, among other things. Oil palm growers have been receiving the bulk of the blame.