KUALA LUMPUR: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin (pic) chides the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) company for its hasty and unwarranted action against Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP).
“I strongly want to reiterate that the Malaysian palm oil trade operates beneath strict requirements consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
“The ministry can be working intently with the Human Resources and Environment and Water Ministries to make sure that the nation’s oil palm trade complies with home and worldwide legal guidelines and practices,” she mentioned in a press release Monday (Jan 31).
The CBP had issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on palm oil, together with all crude palm oil and palm kernel oil and by-product merchandise, made wholly or partly with palm oil traceable to SDP on Dec 16, 2020.
United States authorities had allegedly established that there was cheap proof to exhibit SDP harvested fruits and produced palm oil utilizing forced labour. Under the WRO, merchandise can nonetheless land within the US however can’t be traded or processed.
Zuraida mentioned the ministry would search additional clarification on the problem from the related companies within the US, in order that a right away answer could possibly be reached.
“For this goal, the ministry will work intently with Wisma Putra and the International Trade and Industry Ministry.
“Besides, the ministry may also prolong full cooperation to companies within the US and different international locations in order that the nation’s palm oil could be traded freely globally,” she mentioned.
She mentioned the ministry will proceed to work arduous to make sure that the long-term pursuits of the palm oil trade are safeguarded and additional help tens of millions of oil palm smallholders and different stakeholders.
“I additionally name on all Malaysians to work along with the ministry in efforts to deal with the anti-palm oil propaganda by Western international locations, which is clearly aimed toward bringing down our nation’s palm oil trade,” she mentioned. – Bernama
