Malaysia To Send First MSPO-Certified Palm Oil To Europe By Year-End - Minister Mah

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), March 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will send its first Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO)-certified palm oil consignment to Europe by year-end, said Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Mah Siew Keong. He said the mandatory implementation of MSPO certification by end-2019 was seen as a move towards branding local palm oil as sustainably-produced and safe. "We target to send five million tonnes of MSPO-certified oil to Europe by 2019. We will continue to engage with all companies and European buyers," he told a press conference here Wednesday. Mah said the implementation of MSPO certification showed Malaysia's serious commitment to ensure sustainability in palm oil plantation. On the European Union's (EU) Parliament resolution on palm oil and deforestation of rainforests, Mah said, he would be meeting his Indonesian counterpart next week to have an urgent discussion on the matter. He said the EU resolution, which was expected to be tabled at the European Parliament next month, singled out palm oil as a major contributor to deforestation and suggested EU develop a single certification that would only allow sustainably-produced palm oil to enter the EU market. "Malaysia perceives the EU resolution as a trade impediment and may have a devastating effect to Malaysia's exports. "The resolution may also undermine the continued efforts taken by Malaysian government towards sustainability, especially towards the national sustainability certification under MSPO," he said. The EU is the largest export destination for Malaysian palm oil and palm oil products with export valued at RM10 billion last year. Last year, EU imported 29.4 per cent of palm oil from Malaysia and 48.6 per cent from Indonesia. Meanwhile, Mah said, Malaysia and would sign four memorandum of understandings (MOUs) to strengthen exports of Malaysian palm oil to India, especially in exploring new applications of palm oil for the market in India. The four MOUs to be signed in conjunction with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's visit to India, starting tomorrow to April 4, are -- Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) - Mumbai Chapter; MPOB and Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT); MPOB and Mumbai Dabbawala Association); and, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and SolventExtractors' Association of India (SEA). "These historical MOUs are a breakthrough for Malaysian palm oil as they will strengthen our foothold in the Indian market. "There provide a platform for Malaysian palm oil related entities like MPOB and MPOC to work with research institutes and other bodies to explore new applications of palm oil specifically for the market in India. "These MOUs will also be used to promote MSPO," he said. -- BERNAMA