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- Posted February 13, 2013 by
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- Palm Oil: RAN, fact manipulation and dirty politics
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Why The European Commission’s surreptitious Palm Oil campaigns are doomed To Fail!
There is no shortage of evidence pointing towards the European Commission’s almost blatant skullduggery over the ongoing edible oilseed saga. The EC seems hell bent on its underhand tactics to prop up the EU’s own indigenous edible oilseed crops by contributing to campaigns based on largely unfounded evidence against the palm oil industry. All of the evidence however, points to a policy and potentially an economy that is doomed to fail.
Free trade is one of the main driving forces behind a country’s economy and China is one glaring testament to that fact. While the EC puts its efforts into changing the free trade playing field for its own gains, China is busy opening all its doors to free trade having signed roughly 15 Free Trade Agreements so far with another 20 on the table.
So as China’s rise continues to be of concern to many in the west, the European Commission continues to fund campaigns that will ultimately lead to the breaking of its own Competition Rules as well as that of the World Trade Organization, a move that is almost certain to come back and haunt them in the long run.
Palm oil is the most consumed oil globally with an annual consumption of 50 million tons per year. This constitutes 28 percent of the global oils and fats market share followed by soy oil at 24 percent. Developing countries consume approximately 75 percent while the balance is taken up by developed countries. Palm oil is popular due to its affordable price and easy availability throughout the year. It is the only oil that has a significant net excess in terms of production. Malaysia and Indonesia, the two largest producers are also the sole net exporters, accounting for 87 percent of the global net exports of oils and fats. Palm Oil remains the only oil that is certified as sustainably produced. Despite its dominant share of the world’s oils and fats production and exports, oil palms occupy less than 5 percent of the total land dedicated to planting of oilseeds while ensuring sufficient supply of vegetable oils and fats to the world markets. Why only 0.23 percent of global agricultural lands are planted with palm oil.
What makes the anti-palm oil campaigns orchestrated by the EC particularly galling is the fact that the palm oil industry is probably the most sustainable of all the edible oilseed industries. Palm oil is so hyper yielding that each hectare planted with palm oil produces a staggering 4-5 metric tons of edible oil. That is almost 10 times the yield of soy and 5-7 times higher than the EU’s indigenous oilseed industries of rape and sunflower oil. Frighteningly so, but that yield for palm oil is just the average. Whilst rape and sunflower have about maxed out their genetic potential, palm oil’s is just beginning. Best in class plantations such as those in Sime Darby Plantations are already achieving 8 metric tons per hectare and R&D points to a genetic potential of 20 metric tons per hectare! Could this be the real reason for the EC to resort to subterfuge against palm oil?
Much of the anti-palm oil campaigns are based on what Libertiamo, an Italian civil libertarian group, describes as “manufactured” and false evidence. With that in mind it should of concern to all that a reputable organization such as the European Commission would choose to fund these campaigns in bad faith which would be certain to sully its good name.
In the end, as countries like China continue to open up their free trade markets and give way to increased and fair competition, the European Commission continues to put the EU at risk of even further economic decline with its efforts against palm oil, which are likely to jeopardize the livelihood of the many thousands of smallholders who make a living from the cultivation of palm oil.
Note: Deforestation Watch aka Melbourne Zoo Watch was originally established to drive green issues on palm oil mainstream. However, Deforestation Watch has in the course of its existence evolved into Melbourne Zoo Watch and now considerable time and energy is spent on exposing the sly misdeeds and devious schemes of the Melbourne Zoo in using palm oil to surreptitiously raise funds for the zoo. www.deforestationwatch.org
Free trade is one of the main driving forces behind a country’s economy and China is one glaring testament to that fact. While the EC puts its efforts into changing the free trade playing field for its own gains, China is busy opening all its doors to free trade having signed roughly 15 Free Trade Agreements so far with another 20 on the table.
So as China’s rise continues to be of concern to many in the west, the European Commission continues to fund campaigns that will ultimately lead to the breaking of its own Competition Rules as well as that of the World Trade Organization, a move that is almost certain to come back and haunt them in the long run.
Palm oil is the most consumed oil globally with an annual consumption of 50 million tons per year. This constitutes 28 percent of the global oils and fats market share followed by soy oil at 24 percent. Developing countries consume approximately 75 percent while the balance is taken up by developed countries. Palm oil is popular due to its affordable price and easy availability throughout the year. It is the only oil that has a significant net excess in terms of production. Malaysia and Indonesia, the two largest producers are also the sole net exporters, accounting for 87 percent of the global net exports of oils and fats. Palm Oil remains the only oil that is certified as sustainably produced. Despite its dominant share of the world’s oils and fats production and exports, oil palms occupy less than 5 percent of the total land dedicated to planting of oilseeds while ensuring sufficient supply of vegetable oils and fats to the world markets. Why only 0.23 percent of global agricultural lands are planted with palm oil.
What makes the anti-palm oil campaigns orchestrated by the EC particularly galling is the fact that the palm oil industry is probably the most sustainable of all the edible oilseed industries. Palm oil is so hyper yielding that each hectare planted with palm oil produces a staggering 4-5 metric tons of edible oil. That is almost 10 times the yield of soy and 5-7 times higher than the EU’s indigenous oilseed industries of rape and sunflower oil. Frighteningly so, but that yield for palm oil is just the average. Whilst rape and sunflower have about maxed out their genetic potential, palm oil’s is just beginning. Best in class plantations such as those in Sime Darby Plantations are already achieving 8 metric tons per hectare and R&D points to a genetic potential of 20 metric tons per hectare! Could this be the real reason for the EC to resort to subterfuge against palm oil?
Much of the anti-palm oil campaigns are based on what Libertiamo, an Italian civil libertarian group, describes as “manufactured” and false evidence. With that in mind it should of concern to all that a reputable organization such as the European Commission would choose to fund these campaigns in bad faith which would be certain to sully its good name.
In the end, as countries like China continue to open up their free trade markets and give way to increased and fair competition, the European Commission continues to put the EU at risk of even further economic decline with its efforts against palm oil, which are likely to jeopardize the livelihood of the many thousands of smallholders who make a living from the cultivation of palm oil.
Note: Deforestation Watch aka Melbourne Zoo Watch was originally established to drive green issues on palm oil mainstream. However, Deforestation Watch has in the course of its existence evolved into Melbourne Zoo Watch and now considerable time and energy is spent on exposing the sly misdeeds and devious schemes of the Melbourne Zoo in using palm oil to surreptitiously raise funds for the zoo. www.deforestationwatch.org
- TAGS:
- palmhugger,
- palm,
- oil,
- hugger
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