Recognise Our Work On Deforestation Malaysia And Indonesia Tell Eu

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A delegation from Malaysia and Indonesia begins an official eight-day visit and trade mission to Brussels and London today to ensure no new EU laws discriminate against palm oil. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Indonesia want the European Union to recognise their work on the environment and deforestation with regard to palm oil production in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“We have done a lot in the last 10 to 15 years in the area of environment and deforestation and we want the EU to recognise this fact,” said Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) chairman Helmy Othman Basha.
“We have improved a lot, but we have not seen them reciprocate,” Helmy, who is also Sime Darby Plantation group managing director, said.
Ads by KioskedHelmy Othman Basha.“We don’t want them to come out with any new laws that discriminate against our industry.
“That is the message we want to emphasise and deliver to Brussels,” he said as he joined deputy prime minister and plantation and commodities minister Fadillah Yusof in his official eight-day visit and trade mission to the EU starting today.
They will visit Brussels and London.
The trade mission to the EU is a joint mission with Indonesia under the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC).
On Feb 9, 2023, in Jakarta, deputy prime minister and Indonesia’s coordinating minister for economic affairs Airlangga Hartarto agreed to protect the interests of the palm oil sector by strengthening efforts in dealing with discrimination against palm oil.
This was in response to the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), announced by the EU on Dec 6, 2022, which aims to prevent deforestation due to agricultural activities.
Ads by KioskedThe implementation of EUDR is considered a non-tariff measure that can have a negative impact on free and fair trade, especially when it is more targeted at agri-commodity products, involving millions of smallholders from developing countries, that could potentially affect the global supply chain.
The EU is developing due diligence reporting to ensure companies comply with the EUDR.
“Malaysia and Indonesia can negotiate to include as many parts of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil certifications into the due diligence,” Singapore-based Palm Oil Analytics owner and co-founder Sathia Varqa said.
Combined, Malaysia and Indonesia contribute more than 80% to the global palm oil market.
For the Malaysian market, the EU accounts for 9.4% of Malaysia’s export volume, or 1.47 million tonnes of palm oil.
The CPOPC is an inter-governmental organisation established by Malaysia and Indonesia on Nov 21, 2015, to promote, develop and strengthen oil palm cultivation and industry cooperation among palm oil-producing countries. - FMT

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