Malaysia To Continue Highlighting Palm Oil Sustainable Development To France Stakeholders

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will continue engaging relevant stakeholders in France and collaborating with Indonesia to highlight the sustainable development of the oil palm industry, the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities. In a statement, its minister, Douglas Uggah Embas said the two major palm oil producers would continue to jointly highlight the industry's sustainable development, contribution to the economy and poverty eradication, as well as, nutritional attributes. The statement was issued after Uggah held a discussion with French Ambassador to Malaysia Christophe Penot Friday over Malaysia's concerns on the proposed adoption of Amendment 361 to the Law on Biodiversity by the French Senate on Jan 21. If approved, the amendment would progressively increase domestic tax of palm oil and palm kernel oil to 300 Euros/tonne in 2017 and 900 Euros/tonne by 2020. French senate has claimed that the palm oil industry contributes to deforestation and disappearance of the ecosystems, as well as, health effects of palm oil consumption for the amendment. Uggah said besides subscribing to the industry-led certification under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Malaysia also implemented its own Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme (MSPO) beginning 2015 to promote the production of sustainable palm oil. Currently, 25.3 per cent of Malaysia’s oil palm planted area is certified under RSPO while 111,451 hectares have been certified under the MSPO scheme. The argument that the industry contributes to deforestation was unsubstantiated as Malaysia still has 54.6 per cent of land area under forest cover with the palm oil cultivation area occupying only 17.1 per cent of land area. There is also ample scientific evidence attesting that palm oil is suitable for consumption and beneficial to human health, as confirmed by more than 150 publications by scientists both in Europe and other countries around the world. "The new tax structure of palm oil in France has negative repercussion on palm oil imports into France and the long-term bilateral trade relations between Malaysia and France. "In this context, Malaysia wish to recall the statement by the former French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, during his visit to Malaysia in July 2013, on the importance of palm oil to Malaysia, and as part of a mutually respectful France-Malaysia relationship. "Ayrault committed that France would not introduce measures that would discriminate against palm oil. This commitment was extremely important and was welcomed by Malaysia," Uggah added. -- BERNAMA