KUCHING, July 3 — Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah today dismissed claims by anti-palm oil campaigners that orangutans have been killed or completely deprived of their natural habitat, particularly in Sarawak.
“We don’t kill orangutans or deprive them of their natural habitat,” Uggah said in a dialogue session with oil planters in here.
He said areas cleared for oil palm plantations are not the habitats of orangutans.
“But anti— palm oil lobbyists must know we need to put food on the table for our families by growing oil palm,” Uggah, who is also the state minister of agriculture, native and regional development, said.
He urged oil palm planters to obtain Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) for their plantations.
He said MSPO is a home grown certification based on our own standard and capability and it does not add any extra cost to the planters or smallholders.
“We have to comply with sustainability quality and the Paris Agreement on climate change,” he said, noting that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is committed to the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
“I would like to stress here we have been, are and will continue to be very supportive of the federal government’s policy on sustainability,” he said.
Uggah also told the planters that the palm oil industry is in safe hands under Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, who was present at the dialogue.
He said there is no cause for them to worry about the current low prices of the commodity.
Uggah said he believes that Kok will breathe a new lease of life into the industry as she is very passionate and spirited about it.
“But if there is one message we have her is for her to take affirmative steps to ensure the commodity price would go up soon,” he said.
He also urged smallholders, especially the new farmers, to diversify their crops and not to rely too much on oil palm.
He said they should plant crops like banana or pineapple or do livestock rearing alongside as well.
“These will give you alternative income when the price of palm oil drops,” he said.
