No reason to reject MSPO, says Malaysian envoy
BRUSSELS: There is no reason why the European Union ( EU) should reject the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil ( MSPO) certification, implemented since 2015, and to become mandatory by Dec 31, 2019.
“In my opinion, MSPO is better than the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil ( RSPO). We have improved the certification system,” said the Malaysian Ambassador to Belgium Datuk Hasnudin Hamzah.
This shows that the Malaysian government has taken steps and action to meet the requirements stipulated by the European Union to ensure palm oil’s sustainability, he told Malaysia journalists ahead of the European Palm Oil Conference ( EPOC) yesterday.
Plantation companies that are already Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil ( RSPO) certified must obtain MSPO certification by Dec 2018 while companies without RSPO certification will be given more time to obtain the certification, which is by June 30, 2019.
Independent and organised smallholders will be given the longest grace period of up to Dec 31, 2019 to obtain certification.
With the MSPO certification, harvesting and shipping would be traceable, giving importers and consumers the assurance that the oil is authentic, sustainably produced and non- Genetically Modified Organisms.
Hence, there was no reason for the EU to reject the MSPO, said Hasnudin, who is also the Head of Malaysian Mission to the EU.
In the resolution that was adopted by the EU on April 4, 2017, neither of the certification standard – RSPO, MSPO or Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil were accepted.
The resolution called for, among others, the development of a single Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) scheme to be implemented from 2020 for exports of palm oil to Europe.
On average, the EU imported between 7-7.5 million tonnes of palm oil. In 2016, Malaysian accounted for 29.4 per cent of the palm oil imported into the EU while Indonesia accounted for 48.6 per cent of total palm oil imports.
Malaysia, he said, would continue to use diplomatic channels to address the palm oil issue in Europe.
“This should not have occured in the first place. Palm oil has been singled out. Other vegetables oils are not subjected to sustainable certification,” said Hasnudin.
The move is purely discriminatory and misleading, especially when it is comes to linking oil palm cultivation to deforestation.
In Malaysia’s case, oil palm cultivation only accounted for 17 per cent of the total land area or 5.74 million hectares, the envoy said.
Malaysia has a forest cover of 55.3 per cent compared with other developed countries which was below 50 per cent.
“There has been no significant increase in land clearing for the purpose of cultivating oil palm plantations. We have to bear in mind that many of the oil palm plantations today were originally rubber plantations. As such the conversion did not entail the opening up of new land,” Hasnudin added.
In fact, Malaysia’s deforestation rate has decreased. For the period 1991-2000, the deforestation rate was at 0.27 per cent and decreased to 0.09 per cent between 2001 and 2010. From 2010 to 2015, the forested area increased two per cent to 18.25 million hectares. As such, Malaysia has not explicated any deforestation since 2010.
“However, in overcoming this problem, we are adopting the diplomatic approach. We are continuing with ongoing efforts to meet stakeholders and European parliamentarians and industry players,” he added.
Malaysia and other palm oil producing countries would continue to object, backed by scientific proof, that palm oil is not detrimental to health or the environment, Hasnudin concluded. — Bernama
In my opinion, MSPO is better than the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). We have improved the certification system. Datuk Hasnudin Hamzah., Malaysian Ambassador to Belgium