Malaysia will stop buying EU products if they ban palm oil, says Zahid

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 28 Jan 2018 12:31PM · 3 Comments

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says the government will also stop buying from countries that decide to boycott palm oil. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, January 28, 2018.

THE government is reviewing the purchase of products from European Union countries following the bloc’s proposal to ban palm oil biofuels by 2020, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the matter was decided during the cabinet meeting last week which was chaired by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“If we import trade products from any country, and if that country makes the decision to boycott palm oil, then our government will also stop buying from that country.

“They carried out various marketing efforts so that we buy their products, but (they) don’t want to buy our products. Malaysia is not a country that can be manipulated,” he said at the launch of the Hello Commodity Bagan Datuk programme yesterday.

Ahmad Zahid said the proposed ban would affect the incomes of some 500,000 smallholders across the country.

In fact, he said, the decision could be considered as a discrimination which would affect the demand for palm oil, which is one of the country’s biggest commodity-based export contributors with a value of RM71.5 billion last year.

Ahmad Zahid also gave the assurance that the government would take appropriate measures to safeguard the future of Malaysia’s palm oil.

“The palm oil sector (not only) contributes in terms of increasing the country’s revenue, but is also one of the people’s economic activities.

“The government has given a special focus on the development of oil palm smallholders so that the production and quality of palm produced can be improved, (which would) subsequently increase their incomes,” he said.

He was commenting on the resolution by the EU parliament on January 17 through the Renewable Energy Directive, which requires that only sustainably-produced palm oil can imported into the EU market after 2020. – Bernama, January 28, 2018.

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Comments

  • For once Zahid is doing the right thing for Malaysian

    Posted 6 years ago by Kuasa Rakyat · Reply

  • Dear DPM, are you running out of good things to say? You know that you are expandable under Najib's regime right? if he wins the next election, especially with two thirds majority, he will be our supreme leader for his life-time. In the meanwhile, you are going to get ejected and replaced by Hisham. Already having so much power, now he is looking at yet another law to curb purported fake news. You should be more worried about that. Anyway, are you kidding me? Ban all EU products? You mean equipment, education and cars inclusive? it wouldn't hurt them, but it will hurt Malaysians. We are not a hermit nation. We import a lot and from everywhere than we export. Don't be an idiot.

    Posted 6 years ago by Quigon Bond · Reply

  • ☝This article exposes the poor calibre of UMNO leaders because they don't realise Malaysia will stand to lose more than the EU if we take up Zahid's idea and boycott EU goods. He doesn't even know that the balance of our trade with EU is heavily in Malaysia's favour. If we start the boycott the EU will buy goods from other countries like Vietnam and Thailand and Malaysia will lose exports to a big European market. Very sad to know that Zahid is only good for syiok sendiri. In other words, he is good for nothing in the real world.

    Posted 6 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply