13/11/2007 (The Edge Daily), Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian Palm Oil council (MPOC) has unveiled a five-year branding and marketing strategy to improve the country's image as the world’s largest net exporter of palm oil.

As part of its strategy, the council has also launched a new logo which emphasises the industry’s concern for the environment.

Speaking at the launch during the Malaysian Palm Oil Leadership dinner here, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said there were concerted campaigns by environmental lobbyists and non-governmental organisations to tarnish palm oil and the Malaysian palm oil industry.

“We are being accused without substantiated facts of rainforest destruction, decimation of our ‘orang utan’ and other wildlife and indiscriminate exploitation of peat areas.”

“These accusations have tarnished the image of palm oil as an environmental-friendly and responsible industry,” he said.

Chin added that the government, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and MPOC together had instituted several measures to face these issues.

“For example, I have encouraged the POTS or palm oil trade fair and seminar concept developed by MPOC and indeed attended several such POTS events in China, Pakistan, Egypt and also Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Chin said from these events evolved the idea and the need to differentiate Malaysian palm oil and drive the concept of branding palm oil despite it being a commodity.

Presenting the council’s strategic five-year roadmap in the same event, MPOC chief executive officer Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron said the council would be creating an identity for Malaysian palm oil. “There is an urgent need to differentiate Malaysian palm oil vis-à-vis other palm oil producers,” he said.

Yusof said under its new brand strategy, MPOC would position Malaysia as committed to sustainability. The Malaysian palm oil industry is projected to earn about RM40 billion in export value this year compared with RM32.2 billion last year.