By Ir. Qua Kiat Seng Palm Oil in the Spotlight Palm oil is one of the most widely consumed edible oils in the world, yet it often finds itself at the center of controversy. Critics point to its saturated fat content, while supporters highlight its versatility, stability, affordability, and unique nutritional profile. With the release of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDG) 2025–2030, which emphasize whole foods, healthy fats, and reduced refined carbohydrates, pal

By Chan Thye Huat & Datin Lorela Chia Malaysia’s palm oil ecosystem now operates within an increasingly structured sustainability architecture. Certification regimes, traceability frameworks, carbon measurement systems, and assurance mechanisms form an integrated backbone across estates, mills, and downstream markets. As this architecture consolidates, a more operational question emerges: How should capacity be managed as sustainability systems scale? The constraint lies less

Malaysian plantation companies have recorded the biggest gains in environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, emerging among the top global performers in the 2025 Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT) ranking. Malaysian plantation companies have recorded the biggest gains in environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, emerging among the top global performers in the 2025 Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT) ranking. According to C

AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY In the palm oil sustainability debate, contradictions sprout like weeds after rain. Chief among them is the stubborn West-East divide. The irony is pungent: the Global North, which cleared its forests long ago in the march of empire and industry, now steps forward as high priest of ecological morality, wagging fingers at the South for using what little land it still has. It’s a bit like the guest who emptied the buffet at lunch, then lectures the host a

Plantation and Commodities Ministry secretary-general and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF), Datuk Yusran Shah Mohd Yusof (third from right), officiating the 2025 World Orangutan Day celebration at Taiping Zoo. - NSTP pic Malaysia remains committed to striking a balance between environmental protection and sustainable development, particularly in the conservation of orangutans and the management of its palm oil

By Datin Lorela Chia | Founding President, Malaysia Association of Sustainable Supply Chain & Innovation (MASSCI) (Adapted from her address at PIPOC 2025 Global Economics & Marketing Conference) Palm oil now sits at one of the most complex intersections of Malaysia’s industrial landscape — where productivity, climate demands, global narratives, and community livelihoods converge. No longer framed purely as a commodity, it has become a strategic system shaped by industrial

Malaysian farmer Suratmen Mosman faces a dilemma that threatens to sap supply from the world's top palm oil exporters and drive-up prices...

So when we talk about Malaysia’s plantation sector, what’s the right label? My vote: oil palm industry. Oil palm is such an important...

[Getty Images: somnuk krobkum] In July, Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Arif Havas Oegroseno announced a new push to develop palm oil...