KUCHING: Malaysia and the European Union (EU) are setting up a Palm Oil Economic and Technical Committee to help resolve the ongoing debate on disguised protectionist measures.
In a statement today, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said the special committee is vital to empower the role EU nation ambassadors in Malaysia to forward accurate and truthful information back to their home countries.
This joint effort is a follow up from Mah's meeting with EU Member of Parliament Daniel Hannan in Kuala Lumpur.
"The setting up of this special committee proves the openess and continued commitment of Malaysian Government to cooperate with the EU in a promoting the benefits of sustainably-produced palm oil," Mah said.
"We need to address the onslaught negative campaigns via the Internet that is curbing global demand for palm oil and indirectly stunting economic growths of palm oil producing countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia," he added.
Seven months ago, the European Parliament said, in a non-binding resolution, it wanted to stop palm oil from becoming the cause of deforestation or exploitation of communities in producing countries and phase out usage of vegetable oils that harm the environment.
Mah is participating in the 12th Malaysia-Indonesia Annual Leaders' Consultation held here. Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Indonesian President Joko Widodo responded to the EU's discriminatory policy against the global palm oil industry.
Najib and Jokowi, in a joint statement, reiterated EU's policy which seeks to restrict palm oil market access is against the UN's Sustainable Development Goals as per Agenda 2030 specifically in eradicating poverty and raising income levels.
Mah said Malaysia and Indonesia leaders are committed to a joint strategy to counter the European Union’s (EU) wrongful allegations linking the palm oil industry to wanton deforestation.
Such defamatory campaign against the palm oil industry is directly hurting the welfare of more than 650,000 and 17.5 million small farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively.
Mah said he and his team will set off to the EU again next year to carry on engaging with leaders there on ways to resolve issues in palm oil trade.
"I call upon the EU MPs to re-evaluate their stand on the palm sector because of discriminating palm oil against the EU's commitment to the free trade rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
"Malaysia and Indonesia are ready and willing to use all available platforms to strictly enforce against protectionist actions of EU lawmakers and policymakers," he added.