PETALING JAYA: The government sees the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme as key to the Amsterdam Declaration that requires all palm oil shipped into Europe to be certified as sustainably-produced, by 2020.
“European leaders have mentioned to me many times about sustainably-produced palm oil under the Amsterdam Declaration,” said Minister of Plantations, Industries and Commodities Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.
“I tell them MSPO is Malaysia’s answer. By 2020, palm oil shipments into Europe will be government-endorsed (for being) sustainably-produced,” he said at the opening of the Incorporated Society of Planters (ISP) national seminar here today.
Also present were ISP chairman Daud Amatzin, ISP chief executive officer Azizan Abdullah, Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Franki Anthony Dass and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian.
The MSPO is essentially a reflection of a unified code of laws concerning best practices throughout the supply chain, from oil palm planting to palm oil processing.
Mah acknowledged planters' anxiety over the demands of producing sustainable palm oil, and tasked his team with intensifying roadshows to gather feedback from oil palm planters, millers, refiners and other downstream business owners to mandate the government-driven MSPO certification.
The minister reiterated that getting all oil palm planters in Malaysia to be MSPO-certified is tough, but necessary, for the long-term prospects of the industry.
Ultimately, the MSPO's objective is to facilitate better palm oil market access through multilateral or bilateral free trade agreements with buyers.