Malaysia to lead protest against EU's anti-palm oil move

SUNGAI PETANI: Malaysia has been given the honour of leading the protest among co-operatives against the European Union's (EU) plan to ban the use of palm oil in transport fuels by 2021, according to Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd (Angkasa) President, Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah.
He said the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) had given its approval to the national co-operative union's application requesting to be the voice of opposition against the EU's plan.
"We have been given the honour of writing the formal protest letter to the EU. It will be submitted to the ICA by the end of this month and which is expected to be presented to the EU in the near future.
"The protest by Malaysia will not only benefit the country, but also other countries represented in the ICA (an apex organisation for co-operatives worldwide), including in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa.
"We hope that through this protest, the EU will at least see a large movement among co-operatives worldwide to consider," he told reporters after the Angkasa Kedah Conference 2018 ended here today.
In April last year, the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution that said only certified sustainable palm oil could be imported into the EU after 2020.
The resolution also claimed that oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia illegally used slash-and-burn methods to clear land, destroying the rain forests as well as the animal habitats, causing a severe haze that blanketed parts of Asia.
Abdul Fattah said the EU proposal would have a negative impact on Malaysia, affecting about 700,000 smallholders under the Felda land schemes and Felcra Bhd.
He added that so far, Malaysia accounted for about 35% of the world's palm-oil based products, alongside other major producers like Indonesia, Thailand and Africa. — Bernama