2 Apr 2019 (Daily Express) KOTA KINABALU: Primary Industries Minister, Teresa Kok, wants the big players to also play a vital role in assisting the Government’s “Love My Palm Oil” campaign to counter anti-oil palm lobby by not expanding their oil palm cultivation areas. 

She said the Federal Government has decided not to expand the oil palm cultivation areas in the country so “we hope they (big companies) will use the new type of seedlings which produce better yield than expanding their cultivation area.

“They should also contribute to environmental conservation...I have spoken with East Malaysia Palm Oil Association (Empa) on this during our meet on Sunday night,” she told reporters after a discussion on the campaign’s promotion with the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry at Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens, Monday.

She said the plantation companies also need to support the State and Federal Government effort to reconnect those forests, especially along the river banks, particularly in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor.

“I hope the industry players can assist the Government, as the Government is also doing this campaign for them.

Including in the Kinabatangan Corridor of Wildlife, where we must work together to repair the missing forest links,” she said.  

“The industry players concerned should also joint in this effort by planting trees in several other identified degraded forest areas throughout Sabah.”

On the discussion, Kok said Sabah is an important place for delivering the message on the importance of oil palm and its benefits as well as in countering the many wild allegations and perception by foreign countries on palm oil, considering there are three million tourists coming to the State annually.

“So we hope the tour agencies, tour guides, can help us in delivering the campaign’s message among tourists,” she said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Assaffal P Alian, said the State Government through his Ministry fully supports and will work hard with the Primary Industries Ministry in the “Love My Oil Palm” Campaign, with the hope this effort would be accepted by the foreign countries.

“We will do whatever we can to support this campaign, through all agencies under the Ministry,” he said. 

Primary Industries Ministry’s Chief Secretary, Datuk Dr Tan Yew Chong, Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Director-General, Datuk Dr Ahmad Khusairi, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) CEO, Datuk Dr Kalyana Sundram, Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) Chairman, Datuk M Nagarajan, MPOCC CEO Chew Jit Seng, and Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, William Baya, among others, were also present.