Abang Johari speaks to reporters after the event. — Photo by Tan Song Wei
KUCHING: The Sarawak government welcomes the call by Indonesian President Joko Widodo for Malaysia and Indonesia to intensify cooperation towards tackling discrimination against palm oil production by European Union (EU) nations.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said as the country’s biggest palm oil producer, Sarawak fully agrees with the president – popularly known as Jokowi – on the matter.
“In fact, I have already been informed by Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok regarding this matter, and we have agreed with Jokowi,” he told reporters after officiating at the ‘Majlis Ibadah Korban N8 Satok’ event here yesterday.
Last week, Jokowi had told television channel Astro Awani in an interview that the two countries, being among the world’s largest palm oil producers, needed to intensify efforts to jointly address discrimination against the product by EU nations. He was quoted as saying that Malaysia and Indonesia needed to face the challenge together in order to stop prices of the commodity from dropping further, and to ensure the well-being of farmers and workers in the sector.
Jokowi also noted that apart from governmental efforts, measures to tackle the discrimination should also involve the private sectors in both countries.