by Samuel Aubrey, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 11, 2014, Tuesday
KUCHING:
Malaysian palm oil has found its way to many parts of the world despite
incessant anti-palm oil lobbies in Europe, particularly in France.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who said this, attributed this achievement to the series of counter campaigns done through strategic alliances with palm oil processors and food manufacturers to address grave misinformation about palm oil.
He enthused that even international brands are now using palm oil proudly, and even when they were targeted these brands continued to stand firm by their product formulations.
“One such example we have witnessed recently in France is Nutella, the producer of the world famous chocolate spread with palm oil as a major ingredient. They came out openly and boldly in defence of Malaysian palm oil,” he said at a Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)’s seminar and dialogue here yesterday.
The seminar themed ‘Reach & Remind Friends of the Industry’ and ‘Challenges and Opportunities in 2014’ dialogue, declared open by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, also featured a speaker from the Ferrero Group, who owns the Nutella brand, as a show of strong support for sustainable Malaysian palm oil.
Uggah, however, lamented that export revenue from the palm oil industry last year fell by 14.15 percent to RM61.29 billion, compared to RM71.4 billion in 2012, even though the volume registered in 2013 was 25.66 million metric tonnes where in 2012 it was 24.59 million metric tonnes.
“The primary or root cause of this decline was the lower average monthly Futures CPO (crude palm oil) prices that were traded with lows in July 2013 of RM2,289 and then trending higher during December and averaged at RM2,618.
“I am indeed hoping that the December 2013 upward trend would be the start of a price rally and, thereafter, we hope to continuously see higher CPO prices throughout 2014.”
He also mentioned that low stockpiles unfortunately were not equated with a higher price for CPO, citing the CPO stockpile of 1.98 million metric tonnes as at December 2013 compared to the all time high of 2.63 million tonnes in December 2012.
Also somewhat of concern to him was that soybean oil had continued to maintain a healthy premium over palm oil, with Malaysia’s efforts to narrow such price differentials not having been successful.
He suggested this was an opportune time to create a think tank to address this issue and make palm oil more profitable.
“As part of our price management tools, we are also putting significant emphasis on the increased use of palm biofuels in the country.
“Blends up to B10 are already in the pipeline and we will continue to move ahead towards full implementation.
“This is an important strategy since it helps to manage CPO stocks and signal to the world our willingness to take appropriate measures to support the palm oil trade.”
Uggah later told reporters that he did not rule out possibility of Malaysia working with Indonesia on a programme to jointly counter anti-palm oil campaigns.
He said based on bilateral meetings between the top leaders of both countries last year, the cooperation would include the world’s two main palm oil producers jointly promoting palm oil overseas, including in Europe.
Meanwhile, MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor said Europe, especially France, is a hotbed for anti-palm oil campaign with an increasing number of French food manufacturers labelling their products as ‘no palm oil’.
“This could prove disastrous if left unchallenged. MPOC, therefore, has instituted a legal action in the Paris Commercial Tribunal against a leading French supermarket chain, Casion, challenging their no palm oil label claims.
“The proceedings are ongoing and we are hopeful for a favourable outcome from the French courts.”
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who said this, attributed this achievement to the series of counter campaigns done through strategic alliances with palm oil processors and food manufacturers to address grave misinformation about palm oil.
He enthused that even international brands are now using palm oil proudly, and even when they were targeted these brands continued to stand firm by their product formulations.
“One such example we have witnessed recently in France is Nutella, the producer of the world famous chocolate spread with palm oil as a major ingredient. They came out openly and boldly in defence of Malaysian palm oil,” he said at a Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)’s seminar and dialogue here yesterday.
The seminar themed ‘Reach & Remind Friends of the Industry’ and ‘Challenges and Opportunities in 2014’ dialogue, declared open by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, also featured a speaker from the Ferrero Group, who owns the Nutella brand, as a show of strong support for sustainable Malaysian palm oil.
Uggah, however, lamented that export revenue from the palm oil industry last year fell by 14.15 percent to RM61.29 billion, compared to RM71.4 billion in 2012, even though the volume registered in 2013 was 25.66 million metric tonnes where in 2012 it was 24.59 million metric tonnes.
“The primary or root cause of this decline was the lower average monthly Futures CPO (crude palm oil) prices that were traded with lows in July 2013 of RM2,289 and then trending higher during December and averaged at RM2,618.
“I am indeed hoping that the December 2013 upward trend would be the start of a price rally and, thereafter, we hope to continuously see higher CPO prices throughout 2014.”
He also mentioned that low stockpiles unfortunately were not equated with a higher price for CPO, citing the CPO stockpile of 1.98 million metric tonnes as at December 2013 compared to the all time high of 2.63 million tonnes in December 2012.
Also somewhat of concern to him was that soybean oil had continued to maintain a healthy premium over palm oil, with Malaysia’s efforts to narrow such price differentials not having been successful.
He suggested this was an opportune time to create a think tank to address this issue and make palm oil more profitable.
“As part of our price management tools, we are also putting significant emphasis on the increased use of palm biofuels in the country.
“Blends up to B10 are already in the pipeline and we will continue to move ahead towards full implementation.
“This is an important strategy since it helps to manage CPO stocks and signal to the world our willingness to take appropriate measures to support the palm oil trade.”
Uggah later told reporters that he did not rule out possibility of Malaysia working with Indonesia on a programme to jointly counter anti-palm oil campaigns.
He said based on bilateral meetings between the top leaders of both countries last year, the cooperation would include the world’s two main palm oil producers jointly promoting palm oil overseas, including in Europe.
Meanwhile, MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor said Europe, especially France, is a hotbed for anti-palm oil campaign with an increasing number of French food manufacturers labelling their products as ‘no palm oil’.
“This could prove disastrous if left unchallenged. MPOC, therefore, has instituted a legal action in the Paris Commercial Tribunal against a leading French supermarket chain, Casion, challenging their no palm oil label claims.
“The proceedings are ongoing and we are hopeful for a favourable outcome from the French courts.”
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/02/11/uggah-msian-palm-oil-accepted-globally/#ixzz2t1w8LaLG
Jabu: Campaign against oil palm products ‘cruel’
by Samuel Aubrey, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 11, 2014, Tuesday
Jabu, flanked by Uggah (left) and Lee (right), at the exhibition booth. — Photo by Muhd Rais Sanusi
He labelled the campaigns mounted by these countries as “cruel” as it amounted to strangling the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of natives who live on peat land and secondary forests within their native customary rights (NCR) land.
“As minister-in-charge of rural development and modernisation of agriculture, I strongly condemn these blatant campaigns because they seriously stifle and deny all genuine efforts to develop peat land and NCR land, which is the main source of generating income for the poor native communities.
“We must not allow such cruel and bullying tactics to impoverish our native communities,” he said in his keynote address entitled ‘Poverty Eradication Through Land Development: The Salcra (Sarawak) Experience’ before launching a Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)’s seminar and dialogue here yesterday.
Jabu also dispelled allegations made by western non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that oil palm planting in the state had destroyed the Orang Utan habitat.
He pointed out that oil palm development in the state was outside the Orang Utan habitat and that there were wildlife sanctuaries and conservation areas for these primates.
On the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra), he said it was an effective agency directly involved in poverty eradication since its establishment in 1976.
He said Salcra’s main activity was to bring together NCR landowners to enable Salcra to turn their idle lands into commercial oil palm estates.
To date, Salcra has paid RM653 million worth of dividends to some 17,000 participants, who also enjoyed benefits such land titles, job opportunities, and also welfare, loan and study assistance, he stated.
Among those present at the MPOC seminar and dialogue were Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Deputy Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon, MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor and its chief executive officer (CEO) Tan Sri Datuk Dr Yusof Basiron.
Jabu also witnessed the launching of MPOC book `Back to Basics: Culinary Delights with Palm Oil’, which features recipes using palm oil by some of the world’s top chefs.
There was also a signing of an agreement between MPOC and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) for Orang Utan Conservation in the Sedilu-Ulu Sebuyau-Gunung Lesong and Maludam National Park Complex Programme.
Meanwhile, Uggah, told reporters after the function that his ministry and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) were working on a mechanism to ensure fair oil extraction rate (OER) for smallholders.
This initiative is meant to resolve conflict when smallholders sell their fresh fruit bunch (FFB) to the millers, with reference to an incident in Miri last year where some 100 oil palm planters protested in front of MPOB Batu Niah office demanding for a fair buying price.
“This is an issue the Ministry and MPOB are working out,” he said, adding that they would have a dialogue with the millers and planters soon.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/02/11/jabu-campaign-against-oil-palm-products-cruel/#ixzz2t1wCOM5H
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Reach and Remind Friends of the Industry Seminar 2014 and Dialogue - Download Presentation
Reach & Remind Friends of the Industry
Seminar 2014 and Dialogue is an annual seminar organised by Malaysian
Palm Oil Council, MPOC with the objective to highlight the important
issues and opportunities in the Malaysian palm oil industry by way of a
seminar –cum- dialogue and also exhibition. The keynote address will be
presented by YB Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister of Plantation
Industries and Commodities, Malaysia to set out the industry's direction
for the year 2014. Four papers by distinguished speakers will be
presented covering wide spectrum of issues of the Malaysian palm oil
industry and the challenges involved.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
-
-
Reach and Remind Friends of the Industry Seminar 2014 and Dialogue - Download Presentation
Reach & Remind Friends of the Industry
Seminar 2014 and Dialogue is an annual seminar organised by Malaysian
Palm Oil Council, MPOC with the objective to highlight the important
issues and opportunities in the Malaysian palm oil industry by way of a
seminar –cum- dialogue and also exhibition. The keynote address will be
presented by YB Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister of Plantation
Industries and Commodities, Malaysia to set out the industry's direction
for the year 2014. Four papers by distinguished speakers will be
presented covering wide spectrum of issues of the Malaysian palm oil
industry and the challenges involved.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
-
-
Reach and Remind Friends of the Industry Seminar 2014 and Dialogue - Download Presentation
Reach & Remind Friends of the Industry
Seminar 2014 and Dialogue is an annual seminar organised by Malaysian
Palm Oil Council, MPOC with the objective to highlight the important
issues and opportunities in the Malaysian palm oil industry by way of a
seminar –cum- dialogue and also exhibition. The keynote address will be
presented by YB Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister of Plantation
Industries and Commodities, Malaysia to set out the industry's direction
for the year 2014. Four papers by distinguished speakers will be
presented covering wide spectrum of issues of the Malaysian palm oil
industry and the challenges involved.
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