Dead elephants: No forest reserves converted for plantation

No land in the Sabah forest reserves were converted for plantation purposes, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

Dompok, however, said as far as he knew, the State Forestry Department had been strict about giving out land for plantation purposes.

"The state government is doing a good job in ensuring that Sabah's land is more than 50 per cent covered by the forests.

"There are no more large pieces of land available for plantation so right now we are trying to increase crude palm oil (CPO) production per hectare," he told reporters when met during a walkabout at the Penampang town here today in conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year celebration.

Dompok was asked whether there were oil palm planters who were given land within the forest reserves in light of the discovery of 14 pygmy elephant carcasses in Tawau recently.

According to Dompok, the current production of CPO was about 4,000 tonnes per hectare and the government wanted to double or triple it in order to avoid acquiring more land to plant oil palm.

He also said the planters in the state had been working well and made sure that they supported the state's wildlife corridor.

"I think they (planters) too have a vested interest that nothing untoward should happen to the forests," he said.