PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian government, via the Primary Industry Ministry, will lead in proposing and implementing initiatives of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), as chairmanship rotates to Malaysia, this year.
"This year, the CPOPC chairmanship rotates to Malaysia. So, we'll be taking the lead role in promoting the interests of oil palm producing nations," said Primary Industries deputy minister Shamsul Iskandar Akin.
He highlighted the global palm oil industry is consistently subjected to anti-palm oil campaigns in the EU, particularly by Western non-governmental organisations and even lawmakers there.
He said the EU continues to negatively perceive the oil palm industry despite Malaysia embracing the concept of the UN Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 that balances out social and economic progress with the environment.
Oil palm planted areas in Malaysia amounted to 5.81 million hectares in 2017, accounting for only 0.11 per cent of the total global agricultural area, a negligible number compared to other vegetable oils and the livestock industry.
“Let us remind the EU that their rapeseed plantings take up 6.8 million hectares, which is much larger than Malaysia's 5.81 million hectares of oil palm area. Also, let us remind the EU that its forest cover is a mere 33.7 per cent of its total landmass.
“This is a far cry from the Malaysia's 55 per cent forest cover verified by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and other forest authorities," the deputy minister said.
"I think it is important for Malaysia to increasingly leverage on government-to-government framework, such as the CPOPC, to effect collaboration between nations to discourage trade wars that leads to tax hikes and trade barriers such as anti-palm oil campaigns," he said.
Shamsul was speaking with reporters here today after receiving a courtesy call from Bosnia-Herzegovina Ambassador to Malaysia Emir Hadzikadunic.
Also present were Primary Industries Ministry deputy secretary general Ravi Muthayah, Bosna Bank International Inc president of management board Amer Bukvic and senior expert associate Mirza Vejzagic.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina government will host the first Sarajevo Halal Fair from 27th to 29th September 2018. It will be a gateway for the Muslim world to tap into the growing Muslim population and halal products of central Europe.
Bukvis invited agricultural producers from Malaysia to invest in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is a potential market of 50 million Muslim population.
Back on palm oil, in 2015, the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia initiated the CPOPC as a common platform to promote palm oil and neutralise trade barriers as both nations collectively produce 85 per cent of the world’s consumption of this basic cooking ingredient.
There are some 10 million small farmers tending to oil palms across the equatorial belt of the globe.
Indonesia and Malaysia supply an annual 50 million tonnes of palm cooking oil as a kitchen staple among billions of people living in China, India and other developing nations.
Apart from Indonesia and Malaysia, oil palms are also cultivated across Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Central and West Africa and Latin America -- all of which are developing countries in the humid tropics.
Essentially, Shamsul highlighted CPOPC membership is open to all oil palm cultivating countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Uganda.
"Currently, Malaysia and Indonesia are the only two members in this government-to-government framework," said the deputy minister, adding he hopes more oil palm producing nations would formalise their memberships with the CPOPC.