The EU is the third-largest buyer of Malaysia palm oil, and suggestions that the EU could enforce a new sustainability standard for palm oil as part of its newly ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy is causing concern to our Southeast Asian neighbour which is the world’s second biggest producers and exporter of the world’s most-consumer vegetable oil. With Indonesia and Malaysia producing 85% of the world’s palm oil, both coming under criticism for destroying tropical forests for palm cultivation, encouraging compliance with international and national palm oil sustainability certification standards will be helpful, but we must be mindful of the need for alternative economies to protect these developing nations.
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