RT Business Matchmaking Event Joins Smallholders with Potential Buyers

 Independent smallholders and global buyers met at a dedicated business matching event on the sidelines of RT2025 in Kuala Lumpur.

At RSPO’s Annual Roundtable Conference (RT) held recently in Kuala Lumpur, independent smallholders (ISH) were placed at the forefront through a dedicated Business Matchmaking event, which heightened visibility and market access for smallholders within the sustainable palm oil sector.  

Organised in partnership with FORTASBI Indonesia and supported by like-minded organisations such as the World Resources Institute (WRI), the inaugural initiative held on 3 November 2025 as an RT2025 sideline event, attracted broad participation from several potential buyers, including active Credit buyers such as Nestlé, Kao Corporation, PepsiCo, Procter and Gamble, (P&G), and Unilever. The buyers were given the opportunity to meet 53 smallholder and supporting organisation representatives. Several NGOs, including WWF and Solidaridad, were also present, offering an important pathway to build greater advocacy for RSPO Smallholder Credits.

The matchmaking format received strong praise from both buyers and smallholders for enabling deeper, more meaningful conversations between both parties.

“We truly appreciate this business matching event for successfully bringing together independent smallholders and credit buyers, creating meaningful and mutually supportive relationships for sustainable palm oil production,” said Rukaiyah Rafik, Head of FORTASBI.  “This event not only aims to facilitate credit transactions but also encourages the development of long-term collaboration between buyers and smallholders. We hope that this event can be held annually and engage even more buyers and smallholders from various countries.” 

“This event not only aims to facilitate credit transactions but also encourages the development of long-term collaboration between buyers and smallholders.”

A notable highlight of the event was an award ceremony recognising the Top 10 dedicated buyers —a much appreciated gesture that celebrated and reinforced buyer commitment to smallholders..

Strong support mechanism for smallholders

Strengthening smallholder inclusion in the sustainable palm oil value chain was a central focus of RT2025, the annual flagship event of the RSPO. Despite comprising about 40% of the total oil palm plantation area, smallholders remain marginalised from national, regional and global markets, and continue to face mounting challenges, including a slowdown in demand for smallholder credits and disrupted trade relationships.

RSPO actively encourages organisations scaling their sustainability journey to support smallholders through the purchase of RSPO Credits – a robust and credible mechanism for smallholders to demonstrate the sustainability of their production. Buyers in the global market are able to effectively and directly support independent small-scale farmers and marginalised producers who have limited access to international markets or sustainable supply chains. In turn, these farmers and producers are incentivised for their efforts to adopt sustainable production practices.