- Business
- Rimbunan Sawit Berhad is a Malaysia-based investment holding company primarily engaged in the cultivation of oil palm and the processing of palm oil products. The company operates extensive plantation land totaling approximately 69,909 hectares located in Miri, Kuching, and Sibu in Sarawak, Malaysia. Its core products include crude palm oil (CPO), palm kernels, palm kernel shells, empty fruit bunches, decanter cake, fresh fruit bunches (FFB), sludge oil, and sundry food-related goods. Rimbunan Sawit operates three palm oil mills with a combined annual processing capacity exceeding 800,000 tons of fresh fruit bunches, including the R.H. Plantation Palm Oil Mill, RSB Palm Oil Mill, and RSB Lundu Palm Oil Mill. The company also provides management services, insurance agency services, workshop operations, and general trading activities. Founded in 1993, Rimbunan Sawit is headquartered in Sibu, Malaysia.
In recent years, Rimbunan Sawit has undertaken strategic initiatives to improve operational efficiency and financial performance, including a recovery and rehabilitation program to enhance crop production and yield from its oil palm estates. In 2024, the company disposed of two loss-making plantations, the Selangor Estate and Jayamax Estate, located in the Miri Division, which reduced its planted landbank by approximately 17.99% or 7,643 hectares. This transaction generated approximately RM165 million in cash proceeds, which the company intends to use for partial repayment of interest-bearing borrowings, expected to yield significant interest cost savings and improve the company’s gearing ratio. Proceeds will also be allocated to new planting and replanting efforts to enhance future productivity. Rimbunan Sawit aims to replenish and expand its plantation assets while optimizing operational costs and modernizing agricultural practices. The company remains focused on sustainable and environmentally sound production to support long-term growth in the palm oil sector in Malaysia.
Rimbunan Sawit targets industrial and commercial palm oil markets, with its operations mainly serving the Malaysian region through upstream plantation activities and downstream palm oil milling and processing. The company’s subsidiaries include Baram Trading Sdn. Bhd., Burung Tiong Helicopter Sdn. Bhd., Jayamax Plantation Sdn. Bhd., and others, supporting diversified service and operational functions within its business portfolio. Its leadership emphasizes technological innovation and mechanization to improve fresh fruit bunch yields and overall plantation productivity. The company’s 2024 financial performance shows recovery with revenue growth and improved net income supported by these strategic initiatives.
Rimbunan Sawit Berhad remains a significant player in Sarawak’s palm oil industry, maintaining a strong foothold through its large-scale plantations and processing facilities. The company continues to adapt with strategic asset disposal, capital reinvestment, and efficiency drives to navigate market challenges and position itself for sustainable growth in the competitive palm oil sector.