WELL-RESPECTED and authoritative vegetable oil analysts Thomas Mielke and Dorab Mistry have rejected calls by green activists like Greenpeace for a moratorium on oil palm planting in Indonesia and Malaysia.
They urged some 1,800 participants at the 3-day Palm and Lauric Oils Conference and Exhibition (POC 2010) not to be misled by green activists' lobby for a limit on the expansion of oil palm plantations. The conference, which traditionally focused on price forecasts for palm and coconut oils, has now taken a more holistic approach.
"Don't be lulled by the lobby for a moratorium on oil palm planting. Contrary to what Greenpeace is saying, there is just not enough vegetable oils to go around. "Global vegetable oil stocks are tight," Mielke said, adding the world's burgeoning population would need more food and fuel in the years ahead.
"If there is a limit on expansion of oil palm planting, vegetable oil prices will soar to such unreasonable levels that more poor people will go hungry," Mielke added.
Mistry, meanwhile, hinted that Greenpeace's selective lobby against palm oil could actually turn out to be trade barriers disguised as environmental concerns. "The moratorium talk on oil palm plantings within the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) can have dangerous consequences. The industry is not yet ready ... the world is not able to expand soyabean areas and, therefore, needs more palm oil," he said.
"Since the begining of this year, the sale of Geen Palm Oil certificates has picked up. This is an excellent development. The RSPO has done a commendable job, so far, but it needs to proceed cautiously in measured steps.
Mistry went on to question the consequence and motive behind the anti-palm oil lobby by Greenpeace and affiliates. "Are we going to restrict vegetable oil consumption to the rich few and deny it to the many poor?
"Since the begining of this year, the sale of Geen Palm Oil certificates has picked up. This is an excellent development. The RSPO has done a commendable job, so far, but it needs to proceed cautiously in measured steps.
Mistry went on to question the consequence and motive behind the anti-palm oil lobby by Greenpeace and affiliates. "Are we going to restrict vegetable oil consumption to the rich few and deny it to the many poor? "Is this what we mean by caring for the planet and its people or shall we rephrase it to say -- We care for a part of this planet and a portion of its people?" Mistry questioned.
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