Large companies and consumers appear to be taking more of an interest in climate change and the environment by avoiding using unsustainable sources of palm oil in their products.

According to recent figures from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), sales of RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil have risen substantially over recent months.

 Historically, when the focus of palm cultivation was cooking oil and cosmetics, Colombia always had manageable amounts of PC, said National University of Colombia researcher Edgar Benitez. But all that changed this decade when palm oil became desirable as a clean-burning substitute for diesel, and acreage doubled.

For reasons not fully understood, the PC microorganism has mutated into strains that spread much faster and can't be controlled, Benitez said. Over-fertilization and inadequate drainage are just two of the theories being advanced. But the bottom line, he said, is that African palm grown on such a massive scale is a relatively "new crop" and the knowledge base is small.

Having said that, at one point there was a motorised harvesting pole (MHP) introduced for harvesting oil palm fruits. While the gadget holds potential, some say much research on its real use needs to be done.

Priced at RM5,000 per unit, the gadget apparently is too expensive, especially for smallholders. Other minus factors include the five-metre maximum reach which is too low, covering only 40% of the planted areas, and a short lifespan about five months.