KUALA LUMPUR: The plantation industry requires a gig system to attract participation from youths to suit their lifestyle today, a top industry executive said.
National Association of Smallholders (NASH) president Adzmi Hassan said the association is collaborating with a well-known system developer to build a mechanism that will integrate digitalisation into the industry, increasing youth’s involvement in palm oil management.
Adzmi said the system will allow users to monitor a plantation remotely while still managing the required day-to-day tasks.
“The problems faced by smallholders is the lack of interest from the younger generation to take up the operations.
“We are going to introduce a gig system so the youth can work based on their lifestyle.They are independent individuals who do not want to feel trapped in their jobs.
“This technology will lure youths into the industry as it provides them that freedom to manage a plantation,” he said in a press conference at a roundtable on sustainable palm oil here today.
Adzmi cited the e-hailing industry as an example where it managed to encourage youths to work as drivers.
He said the younger generation would not have been attracted to a job that is similar to a conventional taxi driver but the gig economy has made this industry more acceptable for young people.
“Young people need motivation to get into this industry and we believe that this may solve the problem,” he added.
The pilot project for the system is likely to begin early next year.
Meanwhile, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Asia School of Business (ASB) through its Centre for Sustainable Small-owners (CSS), and NASH have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen the resilience of smallholders in Malaysia through training, digital readiness, and sustainable financing.
The collaboration builds practical pathways for smallholders to address the challenges and to achieve both RSPO and national certification readiness, which are two complementary systems that underpin Malaysia’s global credibility in sustainable palm oil production.
“This MoU shows that Malaysia’s smallholders are not the problem, they are the solution.
“By aligning national and international standards, we are turning compliance into opportunity, restoring pride to our smallholders, and securing Malaysia’s sustainable future,” said Adzmi.
RSPO head of smallholder unit Guntur Cahyo Prabowo said the MoU represents a broader strategic effort across major producing countries.
“Each national context is unique. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have different certification challenges, levels of organisation, and market dynamics, but across all these collaborations runs one unifying thread which is empowering smallholders through capacity building, innovation, and access to markets.
“Together, these partnerships translate RSPO standards into real-world, measurable impact. They connect global market demand with local transformation, ensuring that sustainable palm oil is both inclusive and scalable,” he added.
Guntur said there are over 180,000 smallholders worldwide certified under RSPO to date, representing nearly 450,000 hectares of land under sustainable management.
“Through the RSPO Smallholder Support Fund, over US$5.2 million has been disbursed to date, supporting 141 projects in 14 countries, reaching more than 44,000 independent smallholders directly.
“Just this year, nine new projects were launched, impacting over 4000 farmers. These numbers reflect more than progress. They represent livelihoods improved, forests protected and communities strengthened.”
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