Malaysian investment continues to flow into Africa, bringing with it large-scale contributions and opportunities for local communities.
Recently one Malaysian palm oil company announced dozens of educational scholarships as part of its community development program in Liberia. The Sime Darby Foundation – a philanthropic arm of Malaysian Palm Oil processors Sime Darby Group – announced 27 scholarship worth US$420,000 for Liberian’s to undertake tertiary study.
According to a media announcement, … Read More

Respected scientist and orang-utan expert – Dr Erik Meijaard – recently commended Malaysian conservation achievements in an op-ed published in the Jakarta Globe.
Meijaard highlighted Malaysian conservation initiatives as examples where “incredible” animal populations live in close proximity to plantations and settlements; but expressed concern that the activities of local communities in some South-East Asian countries were threatening wildlife populations.
According to Meijaard, most media attention given to conservation in … Read More

Malaysian palm oil industry has demonstrated ongoing commitment to improving sustainability outputs, with the announcement that mill operators in the Malaysian State of Sarawak will implement a state of the art biogas plant alongside a new palm oil mill.
The mill – expected to be completed in June 2013 and cost around RM 13 million – will reportedly be the first in the world to use new technology that treats … Read More

Malaysian investment continues to flow into Africa, bringing with it large-scale contributions and opportunities for local communities.
Recently one Malaysian palm oil company announced dozens of educational scholarships as part of its community development program in Liberia. The Sime Darby Foundation – a philanthropic arm of Malaysian Palm Oil processors Sime Darby Group – announced 27 scholarship worth US$420,000 for Liberian’s to undertake tertiary study.
According to a media announcement, … Read More

The ‘Malaysian model’ for growing palm oil is going global. There has been prominent news coverage of large-scale investments by Malaysian palm oil companies such as Sime Darby in African countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sime Darby, for example, secured a 220,000 ha lease in Liberia in 2009 – which was its first major palm oil investment in Africa. Other companies such as … Read More

Global demand for vegetable oils is expected to more than double to 230 million tonnes by 2021, driven largely by developing world demand.  In India – the world’s largest palm oil importer – cooking oil imports are forecasted to surge 44 percent over the next eight years.  Indian consumption of cooking oils is projected to jump to 23 million metric tons by 2020 from 16 million. The bulk of increased … Read More

A recent study to assess the potential carbon emissions from palm oil in Indonesian Borneo, known as Kalimantan, has no bearing on the sustainability of Malaysian palm oil industry. Indonesia and Malaysia may share some geographical and cultural similarities. Both are located in South-East Asia, and both are major palm oil producing countries. Both face challenges to achieving national development, and both seek to improve living standards for citizens.

But … Read More

by Alex Singleton, September 20, 2012

After a three-day tour of Malaysia, what should Prince William and Kate Middleton take back to London about the country?

Well, I hope that they will report back that, contrary to the increasingly hysterical claims of British activists, Malaysia is doing a great deal to protect its environment.

British campaigners sit in front of their designer laptops at fashionable coffee shops in central London … Read More

After a three-day tour of Malaysia, what should Prince William and Kate Middleton take back to London about the country?

Well, I hope that they will report back that, contrary to the increasingly hysterical claims of British activists, Malaysia is doing a great deal to protect its environment.

British campaigners sit in front of their designer laptops at fashionable coffee shops in central London complaining that Malaysia is tearing up … Read More

People in France, a country known for its iconic fields of rapeseed, sunflowers and vineyards, heard a lot about palm oil last week. Following an advertising campaign by Systeme U, a French retailer, that misrepresents the sustainability and health benefits of palm oil, palm oil producers from the Cote d’Ivoire descended on the country’s capital to advance a complaint before a business tribunal for false advertising. At the same time, … Read More