MALAYSIAN PALM OIL COUNCIL
PRESS RELEASE Malaysian palm oil industry calls for closer ties with EU on sustainability
Brussels, Belgium – 9 March 2007 – The head of Malaysia’s palm oil industry has called for a closer working relationship between the EU and the producers of vegetable oils used in biofuels. Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Yusof Basiron, CEO of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), said: “Malaysia wants to pursue a continued dialogue on sustainability and biodiversity. We recognise the importance of standards to ensure sustainability, and believe that the best way to achieve them is to engage directly with those who have to implement and enforce them on the ground.” Tan Sri Yusof, speaking at the World Biofuels Market Congress in Brussels, said that he was keen for Malaysia’s 100-year experience of tropical agriculture to be used to help set sustainability benchmarks for the future. “We have learned many lessons about maintaining biodiversity and the balance between the needs of man and the needs of the environment, but we recognise that there is still more we can do. “There is an unfounded fear that palm bio-diesel demand in the EU will prompt uncontrolled expansion of oil palm plantations in Malaysia, and thus further erode tropical forests. This is not the case. The country has a stringent land use policy backed by legislation, and in fact Malaysia does a huge service in reducing global warming by having 60% of its land under permanent forests, and keeping less than 20% for agriculture,” said Tan Sri Yusof. - more -
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“We have our own code of Sustainable Forest Management, and we help drive the progressive work being done by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) which brings together growers, processors, investors, trades, retailers and NGOs to create an internationally-recognised certification scheme for sustainably-produced palm oil,” said Tan Sri Yusof. He also addressed the economics of the fast-growing biofuels industry in Europe. “The EU has set a 2010 target of 5.75% bio-diesel in its fuel mix to reduce overdependence on fossil fuels. This target translates into some ten million tonnes of bio-diesel that will be needed by 2010. The availability of bio-diesel in the EU and other potential importing countries offers mutual benefits, including palm oil’s ability to deliver more carbon sequestration than other vegetable oils. “Palm oil has an important role to play, but it is clear that palm oil on its own cannot solve the prevailing shortage of fuel supply and high petroleum prices, because of the limited availability of palm oil compared to the large volumes needed for fuel. “
About MPOC The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (‘MPOC’) spearheads Malaysia’s quest to be a responsible and efficient supplier of palm oil in the global market. An industryfunded organisation, MPOC undertakes responsible marketing and educational activities for palm oil to ensure the continued confidence of consumers worldwide. MPOC is internationally recognised as a centre for information on all matters concerning palm oil and related industries, and continues together with its sister organisation, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (‘MPOB’) to conduct extensive research and development into an industry, which was first introduced into Malaysia (then Malaya) in 1870 from West Africa. Through well-funded and sound research, MPOC initiates sustainability initiatives, social programmes and product development in Malaysia and around the world. - more -
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For more information about the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), please visit: www.mpoc.org.my For more information about the Malaysian palm oil industry, please visit: www.MalaysiaPalmOil.org
For more information: Belvinder Sron MPOC 603-7806 4097 bel@mpoc.org.my
For editorial information: Guy Chaplin, Elaine Tan or Malina Shamsudin TQPR Malaysia 603-2092 4300 guyc@tqpr.com , elainet@tqpr.com or malinam@tqpr.com
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