The Malaysian government is rolling out co-ordinated strategies to secure its status as a low-risk country under the European Union (EU’s) deforestation rules, according to a New Straits Times (NST) report.
One of the key strategies was coordinating the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) across multiple ministries and agencies, spanning forest monitoring, regulatory compliance and sustainable land management, Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani was quoted as saying in the 22 July report.
The EUDR requires companies selling or exporting seven commodities – cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soyabean, cattle, rubber and timber – in the EU to ensure they are deforestation-free and legally sourced.
In addition to restricting imports of commodities linked to deforestation, the EUDR requires the EU to classify regions by risk levels – low, standard or high – with the classification determining how strict due diligence rules will be for companies trading those seven commodities.
In May, Malaysia was given a ‘standard risk’ classification under the EUDR benchmarking system.
The classification overlooked the country’s tangible results in reducing deforestation, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) was reported as saying in a 22 May Euractiv article.
In June, the government formed a special committee to spearhead the country’s response to the EUDR, aiming to ensure continued access to the EU market and strengthen sustainability compliance across key export sectors, NST wrote.
Chaired by Johari, the committee involves three key ministries, including the Plantation and Commodities Ministry, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry and the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry.
In the NST report, Johari was quoted as saying his ministry was also working to ensure that Malaysia’s agri-commodity products exported to the EU met EUDR requirements through the adoption of sustainable certification schemes such as the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme, the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme and the Malaysian Sustainable Natural Rubber Guidelines.
“Relevant issues that may affect the accuracy of Malaysia’s latest forest data submitted for the Global Forest Resources Assessment report to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which is used in the EUDR risk classification process, are also discussed,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.
Johari also said recommendations would be submitted to the government regarding compliance measures that needed to be implemented by the relevant ministries and agencies.
“These strategies reflect our proactive efforts to ensure Malaysia is classified as a low-risk country and demonstrate the Ministry’s commitment to keeping the country’s agri-commodity products competitive in the EU market,” he added.
