KOTA KINABALU – The European Union (EU) ambassador to Malaysia, Michalis Rochas has assured that he will convey to the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium the truth about oil palm cultivation in Sabah.
Rochas, who had spent time visiting Sawit Kinabalu’s plantation during his state visit, said misconceptions among EU nations exist about the oil palm industry in Sabah.
“I want to correct and enhance the view on the oil palm industry in Malaysia.
“The EU doesn’t know about this yet. We need to go back and give the true impression of the situation in Sabah.
“I will convey this to Brussels (the EU headquarters),” he said after calling on Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at the chief minister’s official residence at Sri Gaya today.
During his meeting with Hajiji, Rochas indicated that he had stayed at the Sawit Kinabalu oil palm plantation and learnt about the sustainable practice in oil palm cultivation and environmental conservation by the Sabah government.
“Your forest is an asset, a world heritage, and that is why we care about it. I have seen it myself, and it (conservation efforts) is very commendable.
“I was thrilled to see for myself an orangutan and its baby, although from afar,” he said, adding that an air survey also showed many orangutan nests atop the trees indicating all is well for the wildlife.
In response, Hajiji has asked Rochas to correct the misconceptions on Malaysia’s oil palm industry after witnessing for himself the practice done in the state.
“Sabah has, all this while, been promoting sustainable practice in oil palm cultivation, contrary to what the EU anti-palm oil lobbyists have been spreading negatively and widely.
“Sabah also did so much to meet the national commitment of maintaining 50% under forest cover and ensuring 52% of the state’s forests are permanent forest reserves, parks and wildlife conservation areas,” he said.
Hajiji also said that the EU is an important trading partner for Sabah, adding that the total trade is around RM4.2 billion, with RM3.3 billion in exports and RM800 million in imports.
“We want to see more investments and increased trade with the EU. The state government is keen to forge greater partnerships with the EU to tackle environmental issues and welcome the EU’s offer of support and expertise in this area,” he said.
Towards this end, Rochas also noted that Malaysia is an important partner to the EU, with 40% of the European bloc’s trade being conducted with the country.
He also noted there is still much to explore, including the potential in Sabah, and looked forward towards partnership in trade and conservation efforts.
Rochas also offered assistance on biodiversity conservation with EU funding to the state government, as well as improving collaboration between the EU and Sabah through technical support and expertise.
Rochas invited NGOs which are all partially or wholly sponsored by the EU, such as WWF-Malaysia, Blu Hope and Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia, to share the status of their projects.
WWF-Malaysia conservation director Henry Chan briefed the chief minister on how Sabah’s sustainable palm oil can be globally recognised by fostering stakeholder institutions to collaborate in attaining common goals.
It can also be recognised by enhancing institutional arrangements to facilitate the management of cross-cutting issues and adopting the living landscape approach to overcome deforestation and biodiversity loss.
Blu Hope founder and chief executive officer CEO Simon Christopher, on the other hand, briefed Hajiji on its efforts to make Sabah a plastic neutral state through different recycling technologies that give monetary value to plastic wastes.
Also in the delegation were First Counsellor of the delegation of the EU to Malaysia, Francesco Floris; Blu Hope marketing and public relations director, Michelle de la Harpe; Business Finland senior advisor, Mohamed Farid; Clewat Ltd country head for Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia, Henri Mikael Vaitti; Riverrecycle chief operating officer, Nuutinen Oy; Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia director, Terence Lim; and Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia, director UN, Sylvia Pius.
State secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong, state attorney-general Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof, and Sawit Kinabalu Group managing director, Datuk Bacho Jansie were present. – The Vibes, May 24, 2022
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