Pail Oil Industry Players Urged To Work With The Government
THE palm oil industry, which generated RM80.4 billion in export earnings last year, is set to propel Malaysia into a high-income nation.
The country is the second largest palm oil producer and exporter in the world, after Indonesia.
Besides its contribution to the economy, the palm oil sector has also created jobs, particularly for locals in Sabah and Sarawak. It has brought hundreds of thousands of small producers out of poverty and provided them with a better standard of living.
Despite this, the palm oil industry has received many unfavourable comments and criticisms, especially from the European Union and Australia, on the industry's impact on wildlife.
There were also reports of oil palm planters having to endure false allegations of massive deforestation and lies about orang utan killings from Western non-governmental organisations.
Australia even came up with a Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling -- Palm Oil) Bill 2010, where it does not want palm oil to be listed as vegetable oil.
After years of debate between Malaysia and the EU as well as Australia on the wildlife issue, Sabah has come up with three five-year State Species Action Plans for orang utans, elephants and rhinoceros.
These action plans will provide for better protection of the three species.
Source: New Straits Times Online
by Bilqis Bahari, Kota Kinabalu
Publish date: 15 January 2012
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