Nature Alert: Malaysia Is Still World's Main Producer Of Quality Palm Oil

Tuesday, 12 May 2009

Malaysia Is Still World's Main Producer Of Quality Palm Oil

May 12, 2009 14:52 PM

SANDAKAN, May 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is still the world's biggest exporter of quality palm oil with revenue of RM65 billion last year.

The director general of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Datuk Dr Mohd Basri Wahid said compared to other exporting countries, Malaysia was known for its high quality palm oil.

"Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil but it is Malaysia that leads the world as the exporter of quality palm oil.

"To ensure that the palm oil industry continues to stay resilient and competitive at the global level, all concerned should together maintain the good image and reputation of Malaysia's high quality palm oil as a food source," he said while officiating a seminar on Safety in Transportation of Palm Oil Products here today.

He said it was estimated that 75 percent of the total production of the country's palm oil last year of 21.76 million metric tonnes was exported.

In this respect, he said a proactive and quick response to requests and needs of importing countries was very important, particularly in ensuring the quality and the safety of palm oil products being exported.

Mohd Basri said continuing research as well as new, innovative technology must be supported with the assurance of quality and safety of products through the detection, prevention and quality control at every step of the palm oil supply chain.

"Indonesia, the country's closest competitor, has a comparatively bigger area under oil palm cultivation. Malaysia's palm oil industry needs to be competitive at the global level through the assurance of quality and safety for palm oil products.

"Malaysia's success in controlling the global market for quality palm oil needs to be defended and sustained through the regulatory aspect of the palm oil industry," he said.

Mohd Basri said misdeeds involving the industry, especially that related to pollution activities, will erode the trust and confidence of importing countries on the quality and safety of the country's palm oil products.

-- BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=410480

Hall of Shame for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Palm Oil Industry.

Nothing can prepare one for the sight of the systematic extermination of orangutans by the government of Indonesia.

Look at the photos and news articles on these pages in the context of a statement the President made to the media on 10th December 2007.

“In the last 35 years about 50,000 orangutans are estimated to have been lost as their habitats shrank. If this continues, this majestic creature will likely face extinction by 2050,” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the launch of an orangutan conservation plan at the climate talks in Bali.

“The fate of the orangutan is a subject that goes to the heart of sustainable forests … To save the orangutan we have to save the forest.”

Statements like these are most welcome, but unless backed up by action, such words fall on deaf ears within the Ministry of Forestry....who are busy granting licences to cut down the very forests the President says they should protect!

When you think you are to busy to help, please could you reflect for a moment on .........

The following extract refers to environmental problems in general. I just hope you find it as thought provoking and relevant to orangutans as I have.

"This is such a shocking and unpalatable fact that most people deny it, or they just don't want to think about it. They believe as individuals, they can do little about it, so push it to the back of their minds. But I can't do that.

When something has to be done, we need to do it. It doesn't matter how big the challenge is or how hard the solution; if I know something is wrong, and I am in a position to help, I will do my best to make it right." Duncan Bannatyne, successful British businessman.