KUCHING: Sarawak's oil palm industry is appealing to the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) to allow existing empty fruit bunch (EFB) combustion systems to continue operating under appropriate controls.
This comes after NRES recently announced that applications for Licences to Contravene will no longer be considered for approval, ahead of full enforcement of the Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations.
The Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (Soppoa) is seeking clarification whether the announcement extends to EFB combustion systems used by palm oil mills to produce bunch ash.
"If so, we respectfully appeal to the minister to exclude EFB combustion from the cessation and permit existing systems to continue operating under appropriate regulatory and environmental controls.
"This would provide the industry with a practical transition period while a technically proven and commercially viable solution is developed," it said in a statement.
Soppoa said EFB combustion was not simply waste disposal but a biomass conversion process to produce a useful agricultural input which is returned to oil palm fields.
According to Soppoa, the industry has tried various air pollution control systems to reduce emissions, including scrubbers, bag filters and multi cyclones, but the trials encountered serious operational problems.
It has also approached the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) for research assistance, with a practical solution yet to materialise.
Soppoa said 70 to 80 EFB combustion units were operating in Sarawak at an estimated capital cost of RM500,000 each, representing a substantial industry investment.
"Importantly, stopping EFB combustion does not eliminate EFB. The biomass must still be transported, stored, processed, applied to fields, or otherwise managed.
"Each alternative carries its own environmental footprint, logistical requirements and costs," it said.
Soppoa said it was not seeking exemption from environmental responsibility but for a practical transition mechanism while the government, research institutions and industry jointly develop a solution that works.
It called on NRES to review the regulatory classification of EFB combustion, establish a technical task force with MPOB, the Environment Department and industry players, develop a progressive emission-reduction roadmap and undertake a holistic environmental and economic assessment comparing EFB combustion with alternative management options.
Soppoa also urged NRES to engage with the industry before implementing a cessation affecting EFB combustion facilities.
It said the industry was ready to work constructively with NRES, MPOB and relevant agencies to find a realistic pathway towards compliance.
