Malaysia calls for fund to raise awareness of palm oil among European consumers

The Malaysian government has been urged to create a fund for the promotion of awareness programmes to educate consumers, especially in Europe, on the benefits of Malaysian palm oil.

Datuk Ahmad Hamzah said such a measure was necessary following efforts to halt the use of palm oil in Europe, thereby hampering the government’s effort to develop the agricultural sector, especially oil palm.

“The European Parliament recently, made a resolution on palm oil and deforestation of tropical forests. In the 1980’s, the United States adopted the anti-palm oil campaign and now Europe,” he said when debating on the Supply Bill 2018 in the parliament.

Ahmad, who is also chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, said the government had to defend the country’s palm oil industry as it contributed six % to Gross Domestic Product, namely RM67.7 billion last year, while about 650,000 smallholders and four million people depended on oil palm for a living.

Dr Azman Ismail said raising the health and deforestation issues by certain quarters in Europe was simply to protect their local products.