KUALA LUMPUR – Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (picture) will have a meeting with Florika Fink-Hooijer, DG in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, on June 28.

Fink-Hooijer is the DG responsible for studying and formulating the European Union Deforestation Regulation’s (EUDR) total preparation, the minister said.

“During the meeting, I will reaffirm Malaysia’s stance which was conveyed in Brussels, Belgium, in addition to explaining the country’s views in detail on the EUDR’s implementation,” said Fadillah, who is also Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), during the Minister’s Question Time session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to Datuk Azman Nasrudin (PN-Padang Serai) who wanted to know the outcome of the ministerial visit to Europe to resolve the palm oil discrimination issue and the immediate assistance that can be provided to rubber tappers in dealing with the hot weather and rubber leaf disease that reduce latex production.

According to Fadillah, the joint mission undertaken by the Malaysian and Indonesian delegations to the EU is viewed as successful in communicating the collective EUDR-related concerns of palm oil-producing nations through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries.

The positive response towards the mission can hopefully ease the concerns of Malaysia and Indonesia about the EUDR implementation which is feared to hurt both countries’ oil palm sector, he added.

Fadillah said the Plantation and Commodities Ministry will continue to engage with the parties involved through various appropriate platforms so that a consistent message can be sent to the EU for safeguarding the nation’s commodities industry.

“This is also for protecting the livelihood of those affected, especially smallholders, in line with the aspirations of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals which emphasise the wellbeing of all,” he added. – Bernama