KUALA LUMPUR: Ministry of Plantation and Commodities is taking various efforts to ensure that the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification meets the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Its minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said this is to prevent discrimination against local palm oil in the European and global markets.
The efforts include the establishment of a Joint Task Force (Ad Hoc JTF) related to EUDR in collaboration with Indonesia, the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) and the European Commission.
"Through this platform, the EU has agreed to assist in addressing the constraints faced by Malaysia and Indonesia in meeting the requirements of EUDR.
"The first Ad Hoc JTF meeting in August 2023 identified five main constraints faced.
"It encompasses issues related to smallholder participation in the supply chain, relevant national certification schemes, traceability from producer to end-user, scientific data on deforestation and protection of personal data," Johari said in a written reply to Parliament today.
He said this in response to a question from Bakri Jamaluddin (PN-Tangga Batu) who asked for updates on the ministry's efforts in its campaign to convince the EU that MSPO certification meets the EUDR standard.
Johari said through the platform, MSPO collaborated with the European Forest Institute (EFI) to conduct an analysis of the gap between MSPO certification schemes and EUDR legislation.
The initial results showed that MSPO has the potential to meet EUDR regulation requirements.
"This is because Malaysia has reviewed MSPO 2.0 standards to be aligned with international norms to improve credibility and expand the scope of recognition from the global market," he said.
"MSPO 2.0 is also enhanced by including some elements involving social issues and good agricultural practices" Johari added.