The Star Online (15/04/2025) - PUTRAJAYA: As the powerhouse in the global commodities market, with palm oil, rubber, timber, cocoa and pepper driving its economy, Malaysia is focused on streamlining trade to foster trust between trading partners to strengthen trade and market development.

This includes efforts to harmonise national certification standards and align them with international requirements.

Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said nationally developed standards such as the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, Malaysian Sustainable Natural Rubber and Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme will act as the primary compliance tools for their respective industries to ensure responsible production.

“These standards were developed through a spirit of collaboration, in close partnership with industry players, civil society organisations, as well as international bodies like the International Labour Organisation,” he said at the launch of the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (Fact) Forum 2025 here yesterday.

Malaysia, which officially took over as co-chair of the Fact Dialogue for 2025 to 2026 from Indonesia, pledged to build upon its predecessor’s legacy and continue working with the United Kingdom to advance progress across four key thematic areas – trade and market development, smallholder support, traceability and transparency, as well as research, development and innovation.

“Our approach is built on the principle of ‘Shared Responsibility, Shared Prosperity, Towards Sustainability’,” said the minister.

Underscoring the vital role of smallholders, Johari added that Malaysia will continue to support approximately 800,000 smallholders nationwide through every step of the sustainability journey.

He stressed that excluding them from global supply chains would be unjust and counterproductive.

“With the right support, smallholders can adopt better agricultural practices, obtain certification and ultimately achieve higher yields and incomes,” he said, adding that government assistance includes financial aid, capacity-building programmes, digital tools and direct market linkages.

Additionally, Johari highlighted that producing nations like Malaysia have taken bold steps to balance economic development with environmental stewardship.

The country has maintained over 50% forest cover and introduced sustainability certification schemes to minimise deforestation. — Bernama

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2025/04/15/malaysia-boosts-trade-with-unified-commodity-standards