PUTRAJAYA: The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry will set up Special Oil Palm Economic and Technical Committee to deal with palm oil issues in Europe.
The committee will be joined by special representatives from European Union (EU) embassies in Malaysia.
Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong proposed this after a meeting with European parliamentarian Daniel Hannan in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 17.
Mah said the committee would strengthen the role of the ambassadors in ensuring accurate and unbiased information on palm oil in EU.
“This also serves as proof of the Malaysia’s commitment to working together with EU on the issue related to the sustainable development of the oil palm sector,” he said in a statement.
Mah said negative publicity on palm oil in EU would affect its global demand and indirectly contribute to a drop in its price.
“The government will view seriously the developments in the EU Parliament and will be committed to protecting the interests of 650,000 oil palm smallholders in the country,” he said.
