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Malaysian-owned palm oil companies in Indonesia have adopted sustainable cultivation and plantation practices, says Deputy Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact which India is negotiating with 15 others, including the 10-member ASEAN and China, will not only hit industrial sectors and agriculture the most because of tariff elimination but may also force the country to give up its policy space in determining e-commerce and investment rules, the Forum for Trade Justice has cautioned. The forum includes academicians, economists, farmer bodies and labour representatives.

Malaysian palm oil futures recouped losses to end higher on Tuesday as the country eyed more imports from India, days after a report stated that India was considering restricting imports of palm oil and other products from the country.

Some companies think the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil logo looks too much like a marijuana leaf. Others don’t want to highlight that the controversial oil—sustainable or not—is in their products.

The government pledges to speed up studies on the opportunities and challenges in reviving long-delayed trade talks between Thailand and the EU after the Council of the EU said in a statement on Tuesday the bloc aims to resume negotiations with Thailand on a free trade agreement (FTA).

The Ministry of Primary Industries will capitalise on the RM27 million allocation proposed in the 2020 Budget to intensify the ‘Love My Palm Oil’ campaign to address the negative perception of the country’s oil palm industry.

Asian shares took off on Wednesday and sterling held near six-month highs as Britain and the EU made headway on a Brexit deal ahead of a leaders' summit though it remained unclear if London could avoid postponing its scheduled departure on Oct 31

Malaysia is considering raising imports of raw sugar and buffalo meat from India, potentially easing trade tensions after reports New Delhi could restrict Malaysian palm oil imports following the country’s criticism of India’s actions in Kashmir.

The European Parliament will proceed with phasing out palm oil-based biofuel by 2030 despite threats of retaliatory action by Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s biggest producers of the ubiquitous vegetable oil.

Malaysia on Tuesday said it will look to increase imports of crude sugar and buffalo meat from India, after reports that New Delhi is considering restricting imports of palm oil from Malaysia.

Buyers turn to Indonesia palm oil as alternative

Indonesia swung back to a trade deficit in September as the pace of the decline in imports was slower than expected, data from the statistics bureau showed on Tuesday.