By Nur Ashikin Louis
KOTA SAMARAHAN, Sept 20: The research on the impact of palm oil cultivation on peat land will be used to counter the accusations made by a global network of campaigns on stigmatisation against palm oil.
Sarawak Deputy Minister for Urban Development and Natural Resources Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the scientific research was conducted not only by local scientists but also foreign experts with high credibility from Japan, Korea and United Kingdom.
“Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi) has been established for a long time and has released data that can also be used to fight the accusations that have been thrown by non-profit organisations (NGOs) and individuals abroad regarding the use of peat land as a place for us to plant palm oil.
“The keynote paper that I am presenting today reflects the State government’s action to overcome the problems we face regarding climate change,” he said.
He told this to reporters prior to presenting a keynote paper on ‘Environment and Environmental Sustainability towards Mitigating Climate Change’ during AsiaFlux 2022 held at Tropi here today.
He further called upon Sarawakians and relevant agencies to be involved in assisting Tropi to provide data so that the efforts to develop Sarawak in the palm oil industry can be defended and not belittled by “those who have their own interests”.
Malaysia is the world’s second-biggest producer of palm oil, behind Indonesia, and together, the two countries supply more than 80 per cent of the world’s palm oil, a commodity used in items ranging from toothpaste and coffee creamer, to cookies and biodiesel.
Also present was Tropi director Dr Lulie Melling. — DayakDaily
