Malaysia may consider stopping palm oil exports to the European Union (EU), according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantations and Commodities Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
This follows the EU's new deforestation rules, under which products grown or raised on land linked to deforestation or forest degradation will be banned from entering the bloc.
The six proposed commodities include palm oil, cattle, timber, soy, cocoa and coffee, as well as their derivatives.
Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said this is one of Malaysia's options to deal with the EU's negative actions against the country's palm oil.
Malaysia can focus on other countries, if the EU continues to make it difficult for the country, he added.
As a context, the bloc once launched a 'palm oil boycott' campaign in 2018 on the grounds that the palm oil plantation industry damages the environment through deforestation.
In addition, Datuk Seri Fadillah also said he would involve Indonesia as the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil in this discussion.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed to cooperate in fighting the EU's discrimination against palm oil in November.
