LONDON: Malaysian students abroad will be engaged as palm oil ambassadors in a sustained drive to counter the ongoing campaign against palm oil.
Deputy Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said the effort initiated in the beginning of the year aimed at engaging Malaysian students to disseminate information on Malaysia’s palm oil industry and counter allegations against palm oil by western non-governmental organisations.
A campaign to engage student ambassadors for palm oil was launched in Malaysia on Jan 8 where students from universities and private colleges were roped in.
This, said Shamsul during a brief stopover here, would be expanded to other universities and colleges in the country.
“We know that students have a wide network of friends who are concerned about environmental problems. We enlisted the support of students who we know are social media savvy to influence the people around them,” said Shamsul, who handed over certificates to 20 Malaysian students from several universities here.
“We are teaching them to be part of our big family to campaign for palm oil from the very top to the grassroots. I am confident that students can do this effectively.”
The event, London Youth Edupalm 2019, held at Education Malaysia, was attended by Malaysian charge d’affaires Mohd Suhaimi Jaafar, Malaysian heads of departments in London, as well as students. It was organised by the United Kingdom and Eire Council of Malaysian Students (UKEC) with Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
“We want to be together in this fight to counter the western narratives on palm oil. We want to ensure that all Malaysians are together in this effort.
“We believe that the attack is unfair to us. Let me remind those parties which attack our palm oil industry and paint a negative picture about it, we Malaysians will remain united and steadfast in this fight for the truth.”
Shamsul said this in light of a proposed ban on palm oil biofuel as the campaign for palm oil-free product labels is gaining momentum, especially in European countries.
He said students would be provided with information and guidance by the ministry from time to time.
“The ministry, through agencies like the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, will engage student associations, such as the UKEC that has a wide network among students to disseminate positive information on palm oil.”
He said Malaysia was targeting new markets for palm oil, such as Africa and the Middle East.
In the coming week, he is scheduled to lead a delegation to Jeddah for a seminar on the palm oil industry to reach out to the markets in the Middle East.
On the campaign to boycott palm oil products, with 2,000 products slapped with labels claiming they were free from palm oil, he said the ministry had sent officers to present their case and engage directly with consumers.
“We use NGOs such as the European Alliance of palm oil to spread positive messages about palm oil.
“To those companies using the palm oil-free labels, we have written to them directly to state our objection,” he said.
At the event, Shamsul launched the Harimau London Football Club jersey to promote “Love My Palm Oil” campaign.