KUCHING: The European Union’s reason for banning Malaysia’s oil palm is not environmental but economic.
In addition, the EU’s argument against oil palm is misleading, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing.
“The biggest destruction to the world’s forest is the result of soybean farming,” he told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
He said one acre of forest fell to cultivate oil palm is equivalent to ten acres of forest fell to produce the same volume of soybean oil.
“After an area is cleared for oil palm plantation, it will not be cleared for the next 20 years,” he said.
He further said cultivation of soybeans is more destructive to the environment because it requires yearly or periodic replanting.
“EU’s argument is in support of soybean. Therefore they pit oil palm producing countries and soybean nations,” he said.
Masing, who is also Infrastructure Development and Transportation Minister, said that Sarawak (which means Malaysia) may be a developing country, but knows the first world’s trading needs.
“You (EU) can’t fool us anymore,” he said.
When asked whether Sarawak and the federal government should consider following Indonesia’s approach by filing a lawsuit against the EU, Masing thought it was not the right solution.
“We just have to educate EU consumers on the truth about the oil palm industry. Suing them will not solve the problem,” he said.
Sarawak is one of the biggest palm oil producing states in Malaysia which in turn is the world’s second largest producer after Indonesia.
The EU had proposed a ban on palm oil-based biofuel by 2030, claiming that the cultivation of oil palm is damaging the environment that leads to deforestation and effecting climate change.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that Malaysia would retaliate if EU continued with the ban.
