Zuraida chides US CBP for hasty action against Sime Darby over forced labour findings

KUALA LUMPUR: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin (pic) chides the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency for its hasty and unwarranted action against Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP).

"I strongly wish to reiterate that the Malaysian palm oil industry operates under strict standards in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

"The ministry is also working closely with the Human Resources and Environment and Water Ministries to ensure that the country's oil palm industry complies with domestic and international laws and practices," she said in a statement Monday (Jan 31).

The CBP had issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on palm oil, including all crude palm oil and palm kernel oil and derivative products, made wholly or in part with palm oil traceable to SDP on Dec 16, 2020.

United States authorities had allegedly established that there was reasonable evidence to demonstrate SDP harvested fruits and produced palm oil using forced labour. Under the WRO, products can still land in the US but cannot be traded or processed.

Zuraida said the ministry would seek further clarification on the issue from the relevant agencies in the US, so that an immediate solution could be reached.

"For this purpose, the ministry will work closely with Wisma Putra and the International Trade and Industry Ministry.

"Besides, the ministry will also extend full cooperation to agencies in the US and other countries so that the country's palm oil can be traded freely globally," she said.

She said the ministry will continue to work hard to ensure that the long-term interests of the palm oil industry are safeguarded and further assist millions of oil palm smallholders and other stakeholders.

"I also call on all Malaysians to work together with the ministry in efforts to address the anti-palm oil propaganda by Western countries, which is clearly aimed at bringing down our country's palm oil industry," she said. - Bernama