Smallholders stage protest against EU palm oil ban

More than 2,000 oil palm smallholders staged a protest outside the European Union (EU) Delegation Office here to call for an immediate withdrawal of the palm oil ban.

A petition signed by several smallholding groups, the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra), was handed over to the EU Delegation Office.

Felda Kuantan’s Village Development and Security Committee president Ahmad Hamidi Hassan said copies of the petition were also handed over to all 17 EU nations’ embassies simultaneously.

Speaking to Bernama, Ahmad Hamidi said 103,078 signatures were collected from Felda settlers in the country in their stride to voice out dissatisfaction over the EU’s move.

“There are about 1,700 of us, who gathered here today, to protest against the ban as this will affect our livelihood as we rely heavily on the commodity as our sole income,” he said.

Meanwhile, Salcra representative John Chupong, who flew from Kuching, Sarawak together with 120 Salcra members, said the palm oil boycott would hamper the lives of 30,000 Sarawakian landowners or participants.

“We arrived here yesterday to speak out our concern over the issue and we hope that our voice would be heard before the EU makes the final decision,” he said.

A peaceful demonstration was held in front of the Tan and Tan building in Jalan Tun Razak here which housed the EU Delegation Office.

The protesters held colourful placards written with messages such as “Stop the palm oil ban, save small farmers,” “Palm oil is our life, end the ban,” “Palm oil produces food for my family, stop the palm oil ban,” and “Palm oil has saved small farmers from poverty.”

Other smallholding groups, who joined the fray, were the National Association of Smallholders and the Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association.

In a separate statement, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) said rural communities across Malaysia would be devastated by the proposed restriction, and thousands would be driven into poverty.

It said the Malaysian government had previously warned that if any ban on palm oil were to be implemented by the EU, it would take the necessary actions in order to protect the rights and livelihood of Malaysian smallholders.

The MPOC outlined three demands listed in the petition – end the palm biofuels ban, end discrimination against Malaysians and commitment to no future ban on palm oil.

"Firstly, the EU must withdraw the proposed ban on palm oil biofuels in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED); secondly, all discriminatory provisions against palm oil in the RED must be removed; and thirdly, the EU must commit to a fair and non-discriminatory approach to palm oil in future," it said.

- Bernama