ID :
124270
Wed, 05/26/2010 - 07:23
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/124270
The shortlink copeid
PALM OIL SHOULD NOT BE SINGLED OUT FOR SUSTAINABILITY COMPLIANCE
From Durga Varma
KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), May 25 (Bernama) -- Palm oil should not be singled out for sustainability compliance unless other competing oils are practising the same, delegates to the International Palm Oil Sustainability Conference 2010 were told here Tuesday.
Extensive scientific studies should be carried out to determine the true
situation, said the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) Chief Executive Officer
Dr Yusof Basiron, obviously referring to the misinformation circulated
on palm oil by Western Green Non-Governmental Organisations (WEGNGOs).
Lamenting that other competing edible vegetable oils, like soyoil, rapeseed
and canola, were not subjected to similar requirements, he said Malaysia should
therefore commission more scientific studies.
Dr Yusof said if legislation was passed in the European Union and Australia,
on the basis of non-scientific evidence, this would be discriminatory to trade
and unnecessarily drive oil palm farmers to poverty in Indonesia and Malaysia.
“It will be interpreted totally as trade protection measures and the
affected countries will have to retaliate.
“For example, Malaysia and Indonesia could possibly stop buying German cars
on the basis that they are unsustainably produced through the use of electricity
from coal-powered plants, and coal emits carbon dioxide causing global warming.
“Malaysia and Indonesia, will have to stop importing beef and lamb products
from Australia and New Zealand as these animals emit methane from their gut
which is a potent Green House Gas (GHG) which also causes global warming,” Dr
Yusof said in his presentation on Comparative Green House Gas Emissions of Coal
Mining and Oil Palm Plantations.
More than 300 local and international delegates are attending the
conference, which over two-days discussed, among others, European policies
towards palm oil, green house gas emission from coal mining and oil palm
plantations and, whether to develop or conserve Sarawak’s peat land.
WEGNGOs claim deforestation in developing countries must be stopped at all
costs as it causes GHG emission which leads to global warming and lost of
habitat conservation for the orang utans.
To them, palm oil is the only commodity that needs to be developed according
to sustainable practices while local NGOs are supportive of oil palm development
as it benefits local communities equitably.
Dr Yusof said this is a sad state of affairs as the WEGNOs are not
protesting against deforestation in Canada where 100,000 hectares of land are
cleared yearly for planting crops including rapeseed, to compete with palm oil,
nor are they insisting on a roundtable on sustainable soya oil (RSSO) or protest
against habitat loss of bears and wolves.
“Sustainability should embrace caring for the planet, people and profits but
the WEGNGOs only focus on sustaining the planet. Sustainability to them is
restricted only to “no deforestation” by oil palm farmers in developing
countries,” he added.
Dr Yusof also said WEGNGOs should instead focus and campaign for GHG
emission reduction in their own countries such as through closing down polluted
coal mines.
“Coal is better left un-mined where it can remain deep underground as carbon
instead of being burned as fuel to emit carbon dioxide and pollutants.
“The United Kingdom produces 18 million tonnes of coal annually and emits 66
million tonnes of carbon dioxide but this goes undetected. This emission can be
totally avoided if coal mines are closed down and replaced with alternative low
carbon energy sources,” he pointed out.
Dr Yusof also said the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) was clearly
redundant.
“What are we protecting?" he asked, explaining later that Malaysian palm oil
was already sustainably produced under its own code of good practices.
“Our forests are already protected by many conservation laws and adhere to
sustainable practices for certified timber production,” he added.
Saying that Malaysia had earned the right to conduct trade in palm oil as it
has contributed to equitable share of responsibility, Dr Yusof added that the
country should not be asked to clear the mess (GHG) of other developed
countries.
In conclusion, he said the palm oil trade should not be victimised just
because the commodity is an export of small developing countries.
It is clear that most European countries want to restrict palm oil imports
from developing countries so as to favour their own edible oil, which is more
expensive and less sustainable.
Malaysia and Indonesia are leading exporters of palm oil as they jointly
account for 90 per cent of world’s palm oil production.
Exports of Malaysian palm oil in 2009 recorded an increase of 2.9 per cent
to 15.87 million tonnes and is widely used in the food sector in the United
States, China, India, Pakistan and the European Union.
-- BERNAMA
KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), May 25 (Bernama) -- Palm oil should not be singled out for sustainability compliance unless other competing oils are practising the same, delegates to the International Palm Oil Sustainability Conference 2010 were told here Tuesday.
Extensive scientific studies should be carried out to determine the true
situation, said the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) Chief Executive Officer
Dr Yusof Basiron, obviously referring to the misinformation circulated
on palm oil by Western Green Non-Governmental Organisations (WEGNGOs).
Lamenting that other competing edible vegetable oils, like soyoil, rapeseed
and canola, were not subjected to similar requirements, he said Malaysia should
therefore commission more scientific studies.
Dr Yusof said if legislation was passed in the European Union and Australia,
on the basis of non-scientific evidence, this would be discriminatory to trade
and unnecessarily drive oil palm farmers to poverty in Indonesia and Malaysia.
“It will be interpreted totally as trade protection measures and the
affected countries will have to retaliate.
“For example, Malaysia and Indonesia could possibly stop buying German cars
on the basis that they are unsustainably produced through the use of electricity
from coal-powered plants, and coal emits carbon dioxide causing global warming.
“Malaysia and Indonesia, will have to stop importing beef and lamb products
from Australia and New Zealand as these animals emit methane from their gut
which is a potent Green House Gas (GHG) which also causes global warming,” Dr
Yusof said in his presentation on Comparative Green House Gas Emissions of Coal
Mining and Oil Palm Plantations.
More than 300 local and international delegates are attending the
conference, which over two-days discussed, among others, European policies
towards palm oil, green house gas emission from coal mining and oil palm
plantations and, whether to develop or conserve Sarawak’s peat land.
WEGNGOs claim deforestation in developing countries must be stopped at all
costs as it causes GHG emission which leads to global warming and lost of
habitat conservation for the orang utans.
To them, palm oil is the only commodity that needs to be developed according
to sustainable practices while local NGOs are supportive of oil palm development
as it benefits local communities equitably.
Dr Yusof said this is a sad state of affairs as the WEGNOs are not
protesting against deforestation in Canada where 100,000 hectares of land are
cleared yearly for planting crops including rapeseed, to compete with palm oil,
nor are they insisting on a roundtable on sustainable soya oil (RSSO) or protest
against habitat loss of bears and wolves.
“Sustainability should embrace caring for the planet, people and profits but
the WEGNGOs only focus on sustaining the planet. Sustainability to them is
restricted only to “no deforestation” by oil palm farmers in developing
countries,” he added.
Dr Yusof also said WEGNGOs should instead focus and campaign for GHG
emission reduction in their own countries such as through closing down polluted
coal mines.
“Coal is better left un-mined where it can remain deep underground as carbon
instead of being burned as fuel to emit carbon dioxide and pollutants.
“The United Kingdom produces 18 million tonnes of coal annually and emits 66
million tonnes of carbon dioxide but this goes undetected. This emission can be
totally avoided if coal mines are closed down and replaced with alternative low
carbon energy sources,” he pointed out.
Dr Yusof also said the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) was clearly
redundant.
“What are we protecting?" he asked, explaining later that Malaysian palm oil
was already sustainably produced under its own code of good practices.
“Our forests are already protected by many conservation laws and adhere to
sustainable practices for certified timber production,” he added.
Saying that Malaysia had earned the right to conduct trade in palm oil as it
has contributed to equitable share of responsibility, Dr Yusof added that the
country should not be asked to clear the mess (GHG) of other developed
countries.
In conclusion, he said the palm oil trade should not be victimised just
because the commodity is an export of small developing countries.
It is clear that most European countries want to restrict palm oil imports
from developing countries so as to favour their own edible oil, which is more
expensive and less sustainable.
Malaysia and Indonesia are leading exporters of palm oil as they jointly
account for 90 per cent of world’s palm oil production.
Exports of Malaysian palm oil in 2009 recorded an increase of 2.9 per cent
to 15.87 million tonnes and is widely used in the food sector in the United
States, China, India, Pakistan and the European Union.
-- BERNAMA
