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THE Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) sustainable palm oil certification scheme will be implemented in January, said the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry. Its minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the MSPO standard and certification would also be the basis for the branding of Malaysian palm oil. “The principles and criteria under the MSPO have been finalised and field trials have been completed,” he said at the Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia (Poram) annual dinner, here, on Saturday.

He said Malaysia’s refining industry had been at the forefront of the export market and was working hand-in-hand with the plantation, milling, oleochemical and biodiesel sectors to generate more value added and revenue for the country. “Currently, there are 58 palm oil refineries in operation with a total annual refining capacity of 26.1 million tonnes,” Uggah added. Of the 17.6 million tonnes of palm oil processed by the refineries last year, crude palm oil accounted for 15.9 million tonnes, while crude palm kernel oil made up 1.6 million tonnes, he said. Despite the challenges faced by the refining industry, Uggah assured that his ministry would implement measures to ensure the sector remained competitive and viable.

“We will continue to work with Poram to address these issues, including facilitating better market access through ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and the Malaysia-European Union Free Trade Agreement,” he said. Bernama