KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The Malaysian and Indonesian governments are expected to engage with the European Union’s (EU) top leader on the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) during a joint mission under the Council of Palm Producing Countries (CPOPC).
The joint mission and official visit to the EU’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium and London, United Kingdom from May 28-June 4, 2023 is led by Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, together with Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr Airlangga Hartarto.
The mission is in response to the implementation of the EUDR announced by the EU on Dec 6, 2022, which is aimed at preventing deforestation due to agricultural activities.
Both ministers are expected to hold various engagement sessions to state the CPOPC member countries’ stand on the EUDR, which not only targeted the palm oil industry but also affects the livelihood of millions of smallholders.
In a statement today, the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) said the implementation of the EUDR is considered a non-tariff measure that can have a negative impact on free and fair trade, especially when it is more targeted at agricommodity products involving millions of smallholders from developing countries that could potentially affect the global supply chain.
“As a member of the CPOPC, Malaysia is committed to actively participating in this platform and continuing the agenda of countering the Western countries’ negative campaign on palm oil.
“The engagement session with the EU will be intensified to achieve its intended outcome which is beneficial to both palm oil-producing countries,” the ministry said.
Malaysia and Indonesia had agreed to embark on the joint mission during a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on Feb 9, where Fadillah and Airlangga mutually agreed to protect the interests of the palm oil sector by strengthening efforts in dealing with the discrimination against palm oil.
According to KPK, the United Kingdom (UK) is Malaysia’s 23rd most important trading partner.
Currently, the UK is still negotiating to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
“Therefore, it is crucial for the Malaysian agricommodity sector to further strengthen trade relations with the UK through the Malaysia-UK Joint Committee for Bilateral Trade and Investment Cooperation (MUKJC) and Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue.
“The FACT Dialogue is a dialogue platform between producer and consumer countries to ensure that global agricommodity trade is more sustainable,” it said.
During his official visit to London, Fadillah would also hold meetings with several ministers responsible for the UK’s agricommodity sector and other ministers.
The plantation minister would also deliver his keynote address at the International Sustainable Palm Oil Forum (ISPOF) organised by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific (KSI) and Malaysia-Link UK and visit the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC), one of the world’s leading rubber research and development centres.
“The KPK hopes these missions will serve as a platform to give accurate information to all relevant stakeholders and counter the negative perceptions and unjustified trade barriers on the agricommodity and forestry sector in Malaysia,” the ministry said.
