SEPANG: Malaysia palm oil delegation will head to Europe in November to meet the new European commissioners and parliamentarians for a fresh round of lobbying, said Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok.

She said her ministry, with the support of other relevant agencies, would continue to engage European stakeholders to counter false allegations on palm oil with credible scientific facts.

“The European Parliament election just over in May so they will go for the next sitting in September. Most likely I will go to Europe in November to start a new round of lobbying,” she told reporters after launching the Malaysian palm oil centre at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), here today.

In order to convince the European Union (EU) about Malaysian palm oil, she said it was crucial for the industry to improve and her ministry had been working relentlessly to ensure oil palm plantations in the country achieve 100 per cent Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification by the end of this year.

To date, about 36 per cent of the 5.85 billion hectares of oil palm plantations in the country was MPSO certified, she said.

On the palm oil centre at KLIA, Kok said it was vital to teach the public, domestically and internationally, on the palm oil benefits as the commodity was a backbone of Malaysia’s agriculture sector and the main driver of economic development.

Located at the departure hall, the centre aimed to attract travellers to learn about the key benefits of the commodity in health, food application, social and economy in conjunction with the “Love MY Palm Oil” Campaign.

In collaboration with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, the ongoing promotion at the KLIA has started in the first quarter, disseminating information on palm oil via info screen at information counters, as well as posters and videos over 1,000 flight information display screens.

— BERNAMA

Source : New Straits Times