Following the US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ban on palm oil imports from Malaysia’s FGV Holdings Bhd, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad is now “concerned” that it is next in line.
Yesterday, Human Resources Minister M Saravanan told the media that “another big firm” would soon face a similar ban.
In a statement today, Sime Darby claimed that its past attempts to “engage” with CBP had been futile.
“It is a matter of public record that Sime Darby is the subject of a petition filed by (NGO) Liberty Shared with the CBP on April 20, as widely reported in the media.
“Despite our attempts to engage with the CBP, we have not had the opportunity to provide any explanation and neither has Sime Darby been provided details of the allegation by Liberty Shared,” Sime Darby said, adding that it hoped to obtain details of the allegations against it.
“A possible action by the CBP is a concern to Sime Darby as we view the US as an important growing market for our products, even though the annual value of our export to the US at present is a modest sum of approximately US$5 million (RM20.8 million),” it said.
Liberty Shared, an anti-human trafficking NGO based in Hong Kong, previously petitioned the CBP to ban Sime Darby palm oil products due to the involvement of forced and child labour.
The NGO had also submitted a petition to the CBP claiming that the production of FGV palm oil products also involved forced and child labour.
In today’s statement, Sime Darby stressed that it had already responded publicly to Liberty Shared’s allegations by engaging with the NGO and putting in place a plan to address any “lapses”.
“Our responses underline our serious commitment to upholding human rights and genuine intention to remedy any lapses in our operations and supply chain.
“They are further underscored by our plan, following our engagement with Liberty Shared, to commission an independent review of our governance, procedures and practices related to the areas of concern, the details of which will be announced in due course,” it explained.
An offshoot of the Sime Darby conglomerate, Sime Darby Plantation’s majority shareholder is the government’s Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB).
The government is also the biggest shareholder in FGV Holdings. - Mkini
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