Message from the CEO

Dear Readers,

Welcome to another edition of PalmSphere, where we continue to bring you insights from Malaysia’s dynamic and resilient palm oil industry. With the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) set to take effect by year-end, concerns around fairness and scientific integrity in the EU’s “country benchmarking” process have come to the fore. Our cover story explores the growing pushback within the EU itself, where Parliament and Council members are urging a more credible and up-to-date approach – one that reflects real progress made by producing countries like Malaysia.

Despite our strong sustainability track record, Malaysia is still classified as a ‘standard’ risk country, while all EU Member States are considered ‘ low’ risk by default. This imbalance undermines transparency and places an unfair burden on producers in the Global South. At MPOC, we continue to advocate for recognition based on current data, science-based metrics and a shared goal of halting deforestation.

This issue also takes you behind the scenes of MPOC’s recent familiarisation programme for international journalists. Through their direct experiences on the ground, they gained valuable insight into Malaysia’s sustainability efforts, smallholder empowerment and conservation practices. In our Innovations in Practice feature, meet Nisa Usman, a smallholder from Sabah whose success with regenerative agriculture and mushroom farming under the WAGS BIO initiative shows the power of grassroots solutions.

Lastly, our FAQ segment explores early findings on palm-based tocotrienols in joint health – a promising area we will revisit in the next issue. Thank you for your continued support.

Belvinder Sron

CEO of MPOC