KUALA LUMPUR: Asean nations’ protest against the European Union’s (EU) Resolution on Palm Oil and Deforestation of Rainforest showed increasing awareness and cooperation among developing nations in dismantling barriers to trade.
Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said in a statement today, that the heads of Asean member states have urged the EU to practise equal opportunities to trade by recognising the certification of sustainable palm oil schemes in palm producing countries in the region.
Indonesia and Malaysia’s government-led sustainability certification on palm oil demonstrates the commitment of Asean to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, he said.
In welcoming the “strong support, firm stand and deep understanding” by countries in Southeast Asia, Mah described the consensus reached during the 30th Asean Summit as “a truly people-oriented one”.
This, he said, was because the palm oil industry in Asean involved over 3.5 million smallholders, mainly from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Malaysia itself remains committed in defending the palm oil industry from continuous slanders from various entities.
“Support from Asean will reinforce measures that have been taken by Malaysia and Indonesia through the Council of Palm Oil and Palm Producing Council (CPOPC) platform,” he said.
Mah said his ministry has held talks with the ambassador and head of the EU delegation to Malaysia, Maria Castillo Fernandez, to discuss issues relating to the EU’s resolution on palm oil.
In the meeting, Mah had reiterated that the negative allegations against the palm oil industry were not new, and that his ministry had the facts and figures to address the negative sentiment in major EU countries.
Last year, the EU emerged as the largest market for Malaysian palm oil and palm-based products, accounting for RM9.9 billion or 15 per cent of Malaysian exports.