07/12/2011 (The Star) - is enough vegetable oil produced today for consumption as food with some remaining for non-food utilisation, said Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) director-general, Datuk Dr Choo Yuen May.

"There are about 10-15 per cent remaining for non-food used.

"We have done the calculation," she said at a panel discussion on "Climate Change Mitigation Through Sustainable Practices by the Oil Palm Industry in Malaysia" here yesterday.

Choo said when talking about vegetable oil as food, the issue was more about distribution and affordability.

She said efforts were also continuing to look at second-generation biofuel utilising non-food sources such as residue and biogas, but it has yet to take off properly because the technology was not matured.

"Once the technology is matured, we can move into that direction (second- generation biofuel production). "So the vegetable oil is just an interim," she said in reply to a question from a representative from a non-governmental organisation.

The panel discussion is a side event at the 17th Conference of the Parties on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Palm Oil Council chief executive officer, Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron, said as far as the Malaysian plantation industry was concencerd, it was producing for the world market.

"We did not promise to produce 100 per cent palm oil for food. We produce for the world market and it is up to the world market to use it," he said, adding that if the price was competitive enough, utilisation of palm oil for biofuel production could not be stopped.

He said as far as the plantation industry was concerned, it was not about Food Vs Fuel debate but about land being competitively used or maximising the income of farmers to come out of the poverty.

Last year, Malaysia produced 16.99 million tonnes of palm oil and exported 16.66 milion tonnes, earning US$20.9 billion.

This year, Malaysia expects to earn US$22 billion from palm oil exports. - BERNAMA