The oil palm industry continues to thrive at the global stage; as such the navigation through the challenges in the industry, and seizing the opportunities presented by future challenges would be discussed by eminent experts. The industry has remained resilient and competitive in pursuance of maintaining sustainable palm oil supply chain worldwide. The prominent speakers will deliberate further on empowering effective supply chain management in the oil palm industry and also the governance of it through regional cooperation. The challenges confronted by the upstream sector in transforming the smallholder’s well-being as well as managing estates amidst the rising cost of production would also be addressed. The opportunities in the palm oil refining sector will also be deliberated.

The oil palm industry has charted impressive growth over the past several decades and has placed palm oil as the major oil produced, traded, and consumed the world over. As the industry becomes prosperous, it faces increasing challenges that have a direct impact on its performance. Despite being one of the most highly regulated with legislation and regulations, the Malaysian oil palm industry is trapped in various accusations in relation to human rights violations. The heavy reliance of Malaysia particularly the Malaysian oil palm plantation sector on foreign labour has increased the vulnerability of the country. The import ban on Malaysian palm oil products from certain plantation companies by the US over human rights issues has necessitated concerted efforts from all fronts. Various proactive actions have been taken to address the issue at the root cause by the government and the industry. This session will provide insights from various organisations domestically and internationally as well as deliberate the public-private’s combined efforts and approaches in combating forced and child labour allegations in the Malaysian oil palm plantation sector.

SESSION 3: BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH INNOVATIONS

As one of the world’s largest edible oil industry, the Malaysian oil palm industry is gearing ahead to add values along its supply chain right from upstream to downstream through research & development and the development of innovative products. These innovations have led to the production of new palm-based products that create a new market for oil palm products. In addition, the advances of blockchain technology have provided an unprecedented level of trust in the supply chain, contributed to protecting the working conditions and legal employment of field workers and generated rich data on crop harvesting. The blockchain technology helps bridge the gap between expectations and realities in the oil palm industry. The session will aim to address how the oil palm industry can be future-proofed by taking lessons from successful agricultural transformations around the world. Experts in this field will share their valuable insights and thought-provoking ideas in these areas.

This session will deliberate Malaysia’s economic performances and the new paradigm of the Malaysian oil palm industry that is a way forward to ensure a conducive environment and sustainable rebound of the Malaysian oil palm industry during the endemic phase of COVID-19. This session will analyse the changes in price and international policy, global supply and demand dynamic, and initiative measures to build resilience in managing the expected uncertainties moving forward.