Malaysian Palm Oil Offers Sustainability Solutions at the World Expo 2020

The Malaysia Pavilion has placed special emphasis on Malaysia’s sustainable agricommodities at Expo 2020 Dubai. This will be achieved through two trade and business week programmes focused on the sector as well as its permanent exhibit hall on “Sustainable Agricommodities.”

MPOC, as the promotional body for palm oil, will showcase the Malaysian palm oil industry’s sustainable initiatives and management. The programme will include a focus on pepper and cocoa crops and products.

The palm oil industry’s sustainable initiatives and management are vital in ensuring palm oil remains one of the main pillars of the domestic economy in Malaysia, as well as a globally accepted food source. The initiatives include; a mandatory certification scheme, regulatory guidelines, good agricultural practices and the development of cutting-edge technology by the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the industry.

The concept of ‘Sustainable Agricommodity’ further provides a strong platform for Malaysia in the global market for palm oil exports. The sector has contributed significantly to providing a continuous inflow of earnings through the export of the raw commodity and valued-added products. In 2020, palm oil exports earned $17.39 billion for Malaysia, a seven per cent increase from to 2019. This also accounted for 26% of the world’s palm oil production and 34% of all exports.

Wan Aishah Wan Hamid, CEO of MPOC commented: “Being the second largest producer of palm oil in the world, this is an important sector for Malaysia. Expo2020 is the perfect platform to create awareness of the benefits and various uses of palm oil, but also the importance of implementing sustainable initiatives. Our programme is designed to reach not only the business sector, but also general consumers and the young.”

MPOC will conduct public awareness activities at the Malaysia Pavilion on the benefits and applications of palm oil and its products. These will include cooking demonstrations, an online contest and a soap-making workshop for children. Pocket talks on topics of interest to industry members and consumers in the Middle East and North Africa region will be scheduled for the trade segment.

Cooking demonstrations

Two cooking demonstration sessions will be held daily to promote the various applications and uses of palm oil and its products. These will feature the use of Malaysian Palm Oil and its products that are available in the UAE, such as palm olein, margarine, shortening and vanaspati.

Red palm oil, which has been hailed as a superfood, will also be promoted to visitors during the sessions. Palm oil is rich in Vitamin E tocotrienols, an important antioxidant. Red palm oil is the richest plant source of carotenoids, which is converted to Vitamin A by the body when consumed.

Online contest

The Malaysian Palm Oil online contest is a quiz open to visitors. A QR code, which links to the contest website (thepalmoil.org), will be displayed in Canopy 2 and at strategic locations within the pavilion.

Ten winners will be selected each month from submissions with all-correct answers. They stand to win iTunes or Google play gift-cards valued at $100  each. The grand prize winner, to be announced at the end of Expo2020, will receive an iPhone 13 Pro.

About Malaysia Green Technology Center

Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (MGTC) is an agency under the Ministry of Environment and Water whose scope involves green growth, climate change and sustainable lifestyle.
Three national policies – the National Green Technology Policy (NGTP), the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) and the Green Technology Master Plan (GTMP) – outline MGTC’s role as a catalyst for green economic growth.
Its three core roles are:
 Mainstreaming the Green Economy through green product and service expansion programmes such as MyHIJAU Mark Certification Programme, Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) and green technology tax incentives, namely the Green Income Tax Exemption (GITE) and Green Investment Tax Allowance (GITA) In addition it provides training and human capital development schemes.
 Drive climate change mitigation actions such as advocacy for energy efficiency and renewable energy, low carbon city programmes and low carbon mobility initiatives.
 Cultivate a green lifestyle through publicity and awareness programmes in fostering cooperation between the government and private sectors via global-scale platforms such as the International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM) and other public programmes.