Sabah asks EU ambassador to correct misconceptions about Malaysia's palm oil industry
24.05.2022 (www.theedgemarkets.com) - KOTA KINABALU (May 24): Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has asked European Union (EU) Ambassador to Malaysia Michalis Rochas to correct misconceptions about the country’s palm oil industry.
Hajiji said Rochas had personally seen for himself the sustainable and best practice carried out by Sabah’s oil palm sector, and the state had been promoting sustainable practice in oil palm cultivation, contrary to what the EU anti-palm oil lobbies had been spreading negatively and widely.
“Sabah’s total trade with the EU was about RM4.2 billion, which included RM3.3 billion in exports and RM800 million in imports. The EU is an important trading partner. We want to see more investments and increased trade with the EU,” he said in a statement after meeting Rochas with his delegation in Sri Gaya here on Tuesday (May 24).
Hajiji said Rochas had also visited Sawit Kinabalu’s oil palm plantation, among others, where he saw the good work done on environmental conservation by the Sabah government.
The chief minister said Sabah had done much to meet the national commitment to maintaining 50% under forest cover and ensuring 52% of the state’s forest as permanent forest reserves, parks and wildlife conservation areas.
During the meeting, the chief minister also welcomed the ambassador’s commitment to highlighting Sabah’s development priority in agriculture, industrial and tourism as well as the energy sector to the EU.
In the same statement, Rochas also agreed that there had always been a misconception about palm oil among the EU countries and that it needs to be corrected.
“I have seen it myself and it (conservation efforts) is very commendable. I was thrilled to see for myself an orangutan and its baby although only from afar,” he said, adding that a survey from the air also showed many orangutans nest atop the trees, indicating all is well for the wildlife.
“But the EU doesn’t know about this yet. We need to go back and give the true impression of the situation in Sabah. I will convey this to Brussels (the EU headquarters) to correct and enhance the view on the palm oil industry in Malaysia. Your forest is an asset, a world heritage and that is why we care about it,” he said.
Rochas also offered assistance in biodiversity conservation with EU funding to the state government as well as to improve collaboration between the EU and Sabah through technical support and expertise.