Malaysia To Champion Sustainable Palm Oil – Johari

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, must take the lead in sustainability, taking bold steps to champion sustainable palm oil, especially as the world increasingly focuses on environmental responsibility.

Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani emphasised the importance of industry-wide compliance with sustainability, particularly among private sector players and smallholders.

“The palm oil industry in our country covers 5.7 million hectares, with two segments, namely the private sector (4.2 million hectares) and smallholders (1.5 million hectares). 

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“It is a major economic contributor to the nation, but as the world moves towards sustainability, we must take a bold action,” he said in a press conference after officiating the 36th Palm and Lauric Oils Price Outlook Conference and Exhibition 2025 here today.

He also reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to preventing further deforestation for palm oil cultivation.

“In the past, people applied to clear land for palm oil plantations. Now, we have international regulations, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), that all palm oil producers must comply with. 

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“This means that if they believe that your palm oil is sourced from recently deforested land, you may not be able to export it,” he said. 

Malaysia has set ambitious sustainability targets and is a signatory to multiple international agreements.

These include achieving a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050 (12th Malaysia Plan),  reducing carbon intensity against the gross domestic product by 45 per cent by 2030 (COP21 Paris), cutting methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 (COP26 Glasgow), and maintaining at least 50 per cent forest cover (1992 Rio Earth Summit).

“I always cautioned industry players that our focus should be on increasing yield rather than expanding land use. This is why I stressed in my speech that we must be a country that fully embraces sustainability. Once we get it right, everything else will fall into place,” he added.

-- BERNAMA