EU palm oil ban will not impact Malaysia as the block imports relatively low amount of the commodity

The European Union’s (EU) import ban on palm oil and other commodities will not affect Malaysia, said Heriot-Watt University professor and palm oil industry researcher Dr Denny K.S. Ng. Malaysia’s main export countries are India and China, and the EU as a bloc imports much lower amounts of Malaysian palm oil. “The issue that the EU is championing is related to the sustainability of our oil palm plantations and whether the Malaysian government allows the country’s tropical forests and natural habitats to be cleared to make way for profitable oil palm plantations,” he told theSun. Ng said the EU reached an agreement on Dec 6 last year to ban the import of palm oil products, which have been identified as “drivers of deforestation” if they come from deforested land after Dec 31, 2020. Reacting to the move, Deputy Prime Minister and Commodities Minister Fadillah Yusof said it will affect free and fair trade, and adversely impact the global supply chain. “The Deforestation-Free Products ...