Australian lawmakers should see for themselves the wildlife and forest conservation efforts in Malaysia, said Sime Darby chairman Tun Musa Hitam.

Referring to moves by green groups to push for labelling of palm oil as they claimed that orang utan were being driven out from large forests cleared for oil palm plantations in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, Musa said:

“They may not want to believe us if we say it, but it is best for them to come and see for themselves.”

A STARBIZ comment titled Endless grouses over Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) trademark (June 14) states: “Interestingly, while the RSPO is confident that the trademark would play a key role in stimulating better demand for certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) trademark, its own members, particularly oil palm producers and plantation owners in Indonesia, have contradicting views on its success.”

Such apprehension is expected, but that does not reflect the sentiment of the whole market. Within the RSPO, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, growers and the other stakeholder groups have been very engaged and instrumental in the realisation of the trademark.