This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 17, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s oil palm smallholders took to the streets of downtown Kuala Lumpur yesterday to protest against Europe’s proposed palm oil ban.

“It is noted that smallholders have come out in large numbers against the European Union’s (EU) effort to ban palm oil biofuels under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

“These protests are a clear signal to the European Parliament and [European] Council as well as to the EU president that Malaysian smallholders are upset and unhappy with the efforts to ban palm oil biofuels from the European marketplace, and underscore our resolve to protect our national interests,” said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong in a statement yesterday.

“The Malaysian government views the proposed ban as an effort by Europe to impose a “crop apartheid” on Malaysia’s 650,000 palm oil smallholders. Malaysia will take the necessary action in order to protect the rights of more than 3.2 million Malaysians whose livelihoods depend on the palm oil sector,” he added.

Further, he highlighted that the proposed ban would allow competitor oilseed crops to continue operating under RED, whereas palm oil will be excluded as of 2021. “This is blatant discrimination and the EU has always stood against discrimination. I call on the EU to stop discriminating against our palm oil sector,” he added.

He also went on to say that Malaysian palm oil meets the strictest standards of sustainability required, as Malaysian palm oil biofuels have been certified as sustainable by the leading European sustainability schemes, including the German ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification).

In a separate statement, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council said rural communities across Malaysia would be devastated by the proposed restriction and “thousands would be driven into poverty” if it was implemented.

In the same statement, National Association of Small Holders president Datuk Aliasak Ambia echoed Mah’s statement that Europe is imposing a “crop apartheid” on farmers from the developing world, and that this would violate every United Nations’ treaty that Europe had signed.

Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said over 112,000 Felda smallholders in Malaysia will be harmed by the discriminatory ban.