P&G collaborates with National Disaster Management Agency & iM4U on disaster relief 3,000 Hygiene Kits with essential items for up to 6,000 people were provided to flood victims in Kedah, Perlis and Sarawak

Procter and Gamble Malaysia (P&G Malaysia) has partnered with the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and iM4U to provide 3,000 hygiene kits, filled with essential items to flood victims in Kedah, Perlis and Sarawak. P&G has committed a total of 5,000 hygiene kits which will benefit 10,000 people in flood affected areas.

Volunteers from P&G Malaysia and iM4U came together to pack a total of 3,000 hygiene kits consisting of Oral B toothbrushes, toothpaste, Gillette disposable shaving kits, Rejoice shampoo, Whisper sanitary pads and towels. The items in the hygiene kit were donated by P&G and iM4U and the kits were distributed by NADMA to aid victims in the worst flood-hit areas. The hygiene kits prepared are enough for 6,000 people for their daily use.

In line with P&G’s Children Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) global initiative, P&G also donated 100 boxes of Purifier of Water packets to NADMA, which will enable them to provide 240,000 litres of clean drinking water to 18,000 potential flood victims. P&G’s Purifier of Water filters and effectively kills bacteria and viruses as well as removing parasites and solid materials within 30 minutes. Each 4g packet can purify up to 10 liters of water, which can then be consumed by a family of four for over a day.

“At P&G, we are committed to improving lives. We are very fortunate to have found strong and equally dedicated and like-minded partners in NADMA and iM4U. Being able to introduce innovations that help uplift the lives of local communities demonstrates our commitment to improve social conditions for those who need it most, especially in time of need,” said Mr. Ong Yuh Hwang, CEO of P&G Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei during the handover ceremony of the hygiene kits to NADMA.

Zainal Azman Bin Abu Seman, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) Deputy-Director General (Operations Implementation Sector) added, “We are truly appreciative and deeply touched by the support of our esteemed partners, P&G Malaysia and iM4U for our ongoing aid coordination efforts. At NADMA, we will continue to strive and ensure that these valued contributions, alongside those from other parties, are channeled to the deserving flood victims in a more effective and orderly fashion.”

“As part of iM4U flood relief efforts, basic hygiene is a necessity for the victims of such disaster to help reduce the risk of various communicable diseases. We are incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to partner with P&G and NADMA to extend our hands further to help families affected by the floods and to ensure the wellbeing of our communities in need,” said Rudy Malik, Chief Executive Officer of iM4U, who was also present at the ceremony.

The partnership marks the start of a long-term joint-effort between P&G, NADMA and iM4U in aiding flood and other disaster victims.

KUALA LUMPUR – Cargill, in partnership with Wild Asia, has helped 141 independent oil palm smallholder farmers in Perak receive the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification under the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS). Fifty of these farmers are from indigenous communities in Perak. This brings the total number of RSPO-certified independent smallholders under the WAGS to 175.

The planted land area for oil palm occupied by the 175 RSPO-certified farmers is 650 hectares. The group collectively produces more than 21,000 metric tons (MT) of certified Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) which yields close to 4,000 MT of crude palm oil, a three-fold increase from 2015.

WAGS is a program initiated in 2013 by Cargill, in collaboration with Solidaridad (until December 2015) to promote the production of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) in Malaysia, the second largest producer of palm oil in the world. It involves a full set of independent entities across the supply chain from independent oil palm smallholders, to FFB dealers, the mills and refiners. The program provides smallholders and dealers with technical assistance, better access to technology and the necessary expertise to help them adopt responsible and efficient farming practices to improve their crop yields and obtain the RSPO certification.

Mr. Khoo Woon Swee, an RSPO-certified independent smallholder under WAGS shared his experience on how he reduced his costs thanks to better farming practices: “After joining the Wild Asia Group Scheme, I’ve reduced the chemical application on my farm which has certainly helped me save cost on operations. My oil palm trees look so healthy and I am able to get more fruits. I have also learnt how to apply fertilizer more effectively and how to prevent pests without having to use excess chemicals.”

For FFB dealer Mr. Teoh Chai Hock, Director, Teik Joo Chan, the profile of his company has improved thanks to the program, “Our dealership’s reputation has been raised, compared to other dealers, as we have moved to a different level in improving the quality of our FFB suppliers. The technical program provided has helped smallholders to improve the quality of fruits. With this improved quality, we as the dealer have better fruits to sell to the mill. We also enjoy the benefits of direct priority access to the mill offered for being a sustainable supplier.”

Independent smallholders are pivotal to the palm oil industry in Malaysia accounting for 16 per cent of the country’s total oil palm planted area in 2016. With RSPO certification, the smallholder farmers can contribute positively to the rural economy and their communities through responsible farming practices, better crop yields and access to the global CSPO supply chain.

“The certification underscores our commitment to support the inclusion of independent oil palm smallholders to build a transparent, traceable and sustainable palm oil supply chain from Malaysia. Our plan is to further develop a critical mass of smallholders and create a long-term self-sustaining group scheme which is able to provide an uninterrupted growing supply of RSPO certified sustainable palm oil to meet the growing demand globally,” said Chai Wei Joo, managing director of Cargill Palm Products in Malaysia.

Dr. Reza Azmi, Director and Founder, Wild Asia said: “We are heartened that Cargill has continued to support this program and has realized that important relationships have been forged through this process, which can only lead to better support for smaller producers. This conviction has been steadfast given the relatively small numbers of producers in the program. We are confident this program will help refine the “right” approach and will be a guiding insight for how Cargill works with its suppliers – both big and small.”

The WAGS initiative reflects Cargill’s strong commitment to help improve smallholder livelihoods by adopting sustainable practices and having greater access to markets. The program also reinforces our pledge to advance a responsible and fully traceable global palm oil supply chain. In Indonesia, our programs have, so far, helped 45 independent oil palm farmers become RSPO certified.