MIRI (Jan 17): Not all palm oil causes environmental destruction and human rights abuses, argues the Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association of Sarawak (DOPPA), a group organised to represent the interests of indigenous small holders in the palm oil industry.

The association, which is made up of indigenous Dayak oil palm farmers, has launched a campaign to assert that a discrimination against palm oil is discrimination against indigenous peoples who depend on the crop for empowerment.

"Today, we speak for ourselves as we have noticed that other NGOs are threatening our livelihoods when they attack palm oil," said DOPPA vice president Rita Insol in a statement, adding that the indigenous peoples rely heavily on it as a cash crop.

Insol added that oil palm trees empower indigenous peoples who depend on the cash sales from oil palm fruits to buy what they cannot grow.

"We hope with this campaign, to deliver a message to those that are against palm oil that their discrimination against palm oil is hurting us," she said in reference to a call by 174 scientists against the use of palm oil in biofuels which argued that palm oil causes socio-environmental disasters without exception.

European Union lawmakers today backed a plan to push for the restriction of the use of palm oil in renewable fuels after 2020 on the back of concerns over its environmental impact.