MARKET DEVELOPMENT
We are producing palm oil the right way, says Chin
We are producing palm oil the right way, says Chin
11/6/07 (NSTonline) - MALAYSIA will continue to promote the initiatives of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and best practices in improving the productivity and efficiency of the crop with minimal impact on the environment.
"This platform will facilitate co-operation within the supply chain and open dialogue between the stakeholders," said Plantation, Industries and Commodities minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui.
"But we are also concerned that the interests of our oil palm smallholders are looked after."
The RSPO, which was set up in 2002 with a number of Malaysian companies as founding members, has grown to more than 200 members to include plantations as well as non-government organisations such as WWF and Oxfam.
"It intends to deliver the certification programme by year-end," said Chin.
For Malaysian companies, a leader in sustainable palm oil production, this audit accreditation or report card is to formalise their practices.
Apart from the eight criteria, there are about 39 sustainable palm production principles as well as 112 measurement indicators to ensure the content and verifiable results
Chin said that except for an additional new criteria on the carbon dioxide emission level, the rest of the criteria have been met by the industry in Malaysia.
"On the carbon dioxide emissions, my ministry is also contemplating setting up a technical committee with the RSPO and the Dutch environment ministry, to look into areas which cause difficulty in compliance.
"The ministry is also looking to set up an institute of tropical peat to study aspects of palm oil and further research on greenhouse gases (and carbon dioxide emissions)."
On his six-day mission to the Hague, Brussels and London which ended yesterday, Chin said both legislators and the NGOs with whom he had held dialogue sessions, recognised oil palm as a competitive crop and an important source of sustainable and renewable raw material for food, oleochemcial and bio-fuel industries.
Palm oil, a significant player in the edible oils and fats market today, has also become an attractive bio-crop to fill the European biodiesel and bio-energy requirements, which has targeted a 10 per cent bio-fuel use in all transport fuels by 2020.
EU's imports of Malaysian palm oil stood at about 2.59 million tonnes in 2006.
The NGOs said while they found the Malaysians refreshingly open about the views on the issue and the RSPO as a good way of ensuring credibility of products entering Europe, they are also eager to learn more about land use planning in Malaysia.
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace who were among those present at Friday’s session in London said, they want to see more transparency in the practices of the oil palm industry in Malaysia.
These pressure groups have recently stepped up their campaigns against palm oil, targeting consumers. These campaigns centred on the issue of oil palm expansion are linked to the destruction of rain forests and loss of habitat for wildlife.
"We need to be sure that palm oil for food or fuel is sustainably sourced and, in the case of bio-fuel, we need to see lower carbon dioxide emission levels," said Ed Matthew from the Friends of the Earth.
Greenpeace said the main issue which needed to be addressed was the impact of deforestation on climate and biodiversity.
Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman Datuk Sabri Ahmad, the chairman/CEO of Golden Hope Plantations, said most of the forest fires in the region were caused by the slash and burn practices of the small farmers who are located within the enclaves of the Malaysian plantations.
"This platform will facilitate co-operation within the supply chain and open dialogue between the stakeholders," said Plantation, Industries and Commodities minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui.
"But we are also concerned that the interests of our oil palm smallholders are looked after."
The RSPO, which was set up in 2002 with a number of Malaysian companies as founding members, has grown to more than 200 members to include plantations as well as non-government organisations such as WWF and Oxfam.
"It intends to deliver the certification programme by year-end," said Chin.
For Malaysian companies, a leader in sustainable palm oil production, this audit accreditation or report card is to formalise their practices.
Apart from the eight criteria, there are about 39 sustainable palm production principles as well as 112 measurement indicators to ensure the content and verifiable results
Chin said that except for an additional new criteria on the carbon dioxide emission level, the rest of the criteria have been met by the industry in Malaysia.
"On the carbon dioxide emissions, my ministry is also contemplating setting up a technical committee with the RSPO and the Dutch environment ministry, to look into areas which cause difficulty in compliance.
"The ministry is also looking to set up an institute of tropical peat to study aspects of palm oil and further research on greenhouse gases (and carbon dioxide emissions)."
On his six-day mission to the Hague, Brussels and London which ended yesterday, Chin said both legislators and the NGOs with whom he had held dialogue sessions, recognised oil palm as a competitive crop and an important source of sustainable and renewable raw material for food, oleochemcial and bio-fuel industries.
Palm oil, a significant player in the edible oils and fats market today, has also become an attractive bio-crop to fill the European biodiesel and bio-energy requirements, which has targeted a 10 per cent bio-fuel use in all transport fuels by 2020.
EU's imports of Malaysian palm oil stood at about 2.59 million tonnes in 2006.
The NGOs said while they found the Malaysians refreshingly open about the views on the issue and the RSPO as a good way of ensuring credibility of products entering Europe, they are also eager to learn more about land use planning in Malaysia.
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace who were among those present at Friday’s session in London said, they want to see more transparency in the practices of the oil palm industry in Malaysia.
These pressure groups have recently stepped up their campaigns against palm oil, targeting consumers. These campaigns centred on the issue of oil palm expansion are linked to the destruction of rain forests and loss of habitat for wildlife.
"We need to be sure that palm oil for food or fuel is sustainably sourced and, in the case of bio-fuel, we need to see lower carbon dioxide emission levels," said Ed Matthew from the Friends of the Earth.
Greenpeace said the main issue which needed to be addressed was the impact of deforestation on climate and biodiversity.
Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman Datuk Sabri Ahmad, the chairman/CEO of Golden Hope Plantations, said most of the forest fires in the region were caused by the slash and burn practices of the small farmers who are located within the enclaves of the Malaysian plantations.