West keeps shifting goalposts for palm oil standards: deputy minister

KUALA LUMPUR – A deputy minister today accused Western authorities of pushing “hidden agendas” in their attempts to discredit the palm oil industry, even after Malaysia has repeatedly stepped up efforts to meet their demands for strict standards in the production of the ubiquitous vegetable oil.

Malaysia is the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, behind neighbours Indonesia. Both nations have had numerous disputes with governments and civil society groups mostly in Europe, where there has been a concerted campaign claiming mass deforestation and labour abuses linked to palm oil production.

Plantation Industry and Commodities Deputy Minister I Datuk Willie Mongin said Malaysia regrets the persistent attacks on the industry, as his ministry has already engaged the relevant embassies and high commissions to disprove the various accusations of environmental and labour abuses.

“There was a time they accused our palm oil of being unhealthy and we engaged experts who established that our products were perfect and healthy,” Willie told Parliament during Question Time.

“When standards for the oil were established, they then accused us of deforestation and unsustainable farming methods. But when we produced our Malaysian Palm Oil Certification, they accused us of using forced and child labour.

“The goalposts keep changing, so there is no way for us to actually comply. I see it as a commercially driven plot to deprive us,” he said without elaborating.

Earlier this month, the US Customs and Border Protection said it had seized four shipments of Malaysian palm oil in Baltimore on February 11 after receiving information the commodity was produced under forced labour.

The shipment, which was said to be destined for a processing plant in Delaware, was valued at around US$2.5 million (RM10.5 million).

Willie said the best strategy to counter the negative perception was to broadcast the truth.

“We have denied everything, and yet there will be something wrong that we appear to be doing, so to me, the best defence is to attack and to just tell the truth,” he said. – The Vibes, March 22, 2022