MPIC Hopes PORTSIM Get Green Label From China

From S. Joan Santani SHANGHAI (China), Aug 12 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) hopes the Palm Oil Research and Technical Service Institute of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (PORTSIM) in Shanghai, China can obtain the green food label for Malaysian palm oil products from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. "If we get the green label for our products as soon as possible, we can convince the Chinese consumers, hence can boost the usage of local palm oil products," its Minister Mah Siew Keong told reporters after visiting the PORTSIM in Shanghai. He said the Malaysian palm oil was six times cheaper compared to its rival, olive oil, saying that palm oil has cost-saving advantage. Malaysian Palm Oil Board Director-General, Dr A. Kushairi Din, said the purpose of green label was to enhance the image and brand of Malaysian palm oil as green food and that it was not hazardous to health as what had been claimed by many parties. Kushairi said on May 23, 2016 China's Ministry of Agriculture had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Green Food Authority on certification of Green Food label for palm oil producers in the Chinese market. He said palm oil has many usages, among which were for renewal energy which was environmentally-friendly and for health supplements. Citing an example, Kushairi said, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board had conducted a red palm oil programme whereby 2,000 school children in Gansu, China were distributed with biscuits made of red palm shortening. "These students which have Vitamin A deficiency, after consuming the biscuits containing red palm oil, the deficiency level dropped from 21.6 per cent to six per cent and had cured students with eye blindness," he added. After seeing this result, Mah has suggested Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) introduce these biscuits to schools in all the states in China. Mah also suggested promoting the red palm of biscuits to India, Bangladesh and Africa soon, as these countries were adversely affected by the Vitamin A deficiency. "In future if people painted a bad image about Malaysian palm oil, we can show the proof of this result - red palm oil biscuits that cured the Vitamin A deficiency," Mah added. PORTSIM was initiated by MPOB's then Director-General Dr Yusof Basiron in 2004, with the objective of carrying out research and development collaboration with Chinese universities and in-house projects. PORTSIM had so far completed 31 projects by June 2016 and has commercialised 21 Food Products projects. It currently has 16 on-going projects this year. --BERNAMA