Many positives of palm oil untold, leading to misjudgment

LETTERS: A healthy diet must include enough intake of fats. A fat-poor diet can lead to health issues. Nutritionists also advocate that the percentage of energy from fats should not exceed 10 per cent. Too much is also unhealthy. The global demand for edible fats has been growing around 3 per cent yearly, driven by both population growth and the changing diet of the people.

Poor people tend to eat less fat because they cannot afford it as fat is generally more expensive. When palm oil entered the global trade in edible fats around the 80s, the situation changed. More poor people can afford to increase their fat intake. This is because palm oil is always competitively priced compared to the others. The relatively higher yield achieved in palm oil production makes this possible.

The truth is palm oil has many virtues which are not widely known and appreciated. This explains why palm oil has been a subject of much ridicule. Such critics mostly come from the competition. They are understandably uncomfortable with palm oil's meteoric rise in the market.

Malaysian Oil Scientist and Technologist Association (Mosta) president Tan Sri Augustine Ong strongly believes that palm oil is nature's gift to humanity. Its positive impact on the poor is enough to give that tag to palm oil. In Malaysia, the palm oil industry has uplifted many oil palm smallholders out of poverty. The Felda scheme is often quoted, even among the international community, as a successful poverty alleviation program which many countries sought to replicate. Indonesia is among the countries which have benefitted.

Producing high oil yield is one aspect of the palm oil success story. Even at the current average of 4 tonnes of oil per hectare per year, it is still below the real potential. Ong believes, with the right R&D, the yield can further increase.

Theoretically, scientists are looking at 17 tonnes or even 19 tonnes if the palm kernel oil is included. According to Ong, one plantation has managed to raise the oil yield to a high of 12 tonnes per hectare. But this is extremely rare. Much depends on the planting material, the agronomic management of the crop, harvesting technique, and the oil extraction process. The biggest challenge remains for the smallholders who are often short-changed on the planting material.

Palm oil has many other virtues of which not many are aware. Its versatile nature in the manufacture of products makes palm oil stand out over all others. This has much to do with its semi-solid nature which is absent in all the competing vegetable oils. Using technologies such as fractionation creates wonders for palm oil. Only palm oil can rid products of the deleterious trans fats. It is unfortunate that some of our own manufacturers do not appreciate this.

Palm Oil has found wide applications not just in food products, but increasingly too in the non-food sector such as oleochemicals. As the world races to embrace NetZero, many believe oleochemicals will be the accepted replacement for petrochemicals. It is already happening. We have yet to touch on the enormous potential of the other by-products including EFBs and biogas. Once the commercial value of such oil palm biomass is realized, it will further add to the income of smallholders.

Ong feels we are not telling the world enough of the positive nature of palm oil. Whatever we tell the world, he is adamant that they must be grounded in sound science. Admitting that we are under-communicating the many virtues of palm oil, Mosta has taken it upon itself to now lead the charge. As an ardent believer in palm oil, that is not unexpected from Ong. Even at the ripe age past 80, he never tires of pushing for the better recognition of palm oil.

Admittedly, NGOs like Mosta are less inhibited in promoting the positive attributes of palm oil. They are truly passionate. If all like-NGOs can come together to spearhead such communication efforts, there is no doubt the positive implications on the commodity. Any support from the government would enhance the effort further.

PROFESSOR DATO DR AHMAD IBRAHIM

Associate Fellow

Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy

IISDS, UCSI University

Ungku Aziz Centre

University Malaya