Hotpot, Instant Noodles and, Cooking Oil

Has anyone tried Self heating hot pot instant noodles? This must be one of the most creative (junk?) processed foods. I was eyeing the latest instant ramen ratings as I came across a new flavour at the supermarket recently and finally got a chance to try it - a fish broth version by My Kuali (one of the top rated brands by ramen raters). A friend mentioned the hot pot option, which has yet to reach my local supermarket (but apparently you can get it on Amazon).

In Southeast Asia, despite the warm weather, it is cooler at year end it may be time to consider a real hot pot too. Traditionally in Malaysia, there is steamboat (often in outdoor eating settings) and there is "lok lok" a street food that you get off a food truck. China hot pot versions have set up too now (often in chilly airconditioned restaurant setting).

I hear from the used cooking oil (UCO) people that there's a lot of waste oil to collect from hot pot restaurants. The industrial deep fryers of instant noodles and more are having a fine time selling their used oil into biofuels - specifically palm oil-based biodiesel.

Yu Leng KHOR, 20 Nov 2020

PS. A safety warning to go alongside self heating instant noodles, in an article from China in 2017 (presumably when this product got popular there); and also consider #plasticwaste concerns.

Check out Self-Heating Instant Hot Pot videos.

A Game of Thrones: US Post Elections, 17 Nov 2020

The 2020 US elections are finally over, although the horizon seems to promise yet more drama up until Joe Biden’s inauguration early next year. As the world settles into the results, our PolTracker team members decided to give their thoughts on the matter. Click here to read more.

MPOC: Turning Conflict into Coexistence

Palm oil is the lifeline of Malaysia’s economy. It is what puts the food on the table for many Malaysians, living in rural areas. Palm oil is versatile in its usage and it is found in many of the daily products we consume including confectioneries, biscuits, cosmetics, and detergents. However, the expansion of the palm oil industry, especially in Southeast Asia, has come under scrutiny because of its link with degradation of tropical forests as land is cleared for the development of plantations. It has been questioned on its contribution to climate change among other predicaments. 

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that there is negative perception of palm oil in the European Union, Malaysia’s third largest importer of palm oil. Brussels is set to enforce a biofuel restriction, to take effect in 2020. This relates to the EU's renewable transport target, which uses palm oil as one of the feedstocks for biofuel, and seeks to remove deforestation impact. Unfortunately, there is worry about the livelihood of smallholders in the rural areas in Malaysia reliant on the export of palm oil. Some experts have also pointed out that the EU restriction (often confusing cited as a ban) may lead to the expanded cultivation of other (less efficient) vegetable oils. This could harm the environment in a manner comparable to worries about the cultivation of palm oil, if not, worse.

The Malaysian government, in an effort to bolster its palm oil economy (amid this uncertainty), has launched (in phases) the B20 biodiesel programme. It considers this a green fuel programme, and blends 20% palm methyl esters and 80% petroleum (up from the previous B7 blend), thus “increasing the country's palm oil consumption for domestic biodiesel industry rise to about 1.3 million tonnes annually”. The expanded local demand is meant to safeguard the sector and its stakeholders, especially its smallholders.

The cultivation of palm oil is going more sustainable, with research on best practices in the management of its estates and smallholdings, but misunderstandings still arise on conservation efforts - for the wildlife displaced when developing the forest to cultivate palm oil. On its website, The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) appears to record palm oil’s (its) wildlife support activities under its Science Of Malaysian Palm Oil section. It initiated the Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWCF) in 2006 (with a 1:1 top up offer for independent donor funds) to manage the various conservation projects in protecting and rescuing the animals that lost their homes to palm oil plantations. Its website (accessed 5th Nov 2020) lists 10 projects, but details about donor funds, project spending and impacts are not included.

The latest project is the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Colloquium 2012, and there appear to be two ongoing projects:

1. The Jungle Patrol Unit with Sabah Forestry Department to safeguard wildlife and deter poaching, 2007-ongoing; and

2. The Wildlife Rescue Centre with Sabah Wildlife Dept/ShangriLa Rasa Ria for Rescue & translocation of endangered wildlife found in oil palm landscapes, 2010-ongoing.

However, the latest reported Malaysia palm oil efforts, which is not listed on the MPOC’s wildlife page, includes the One Million Forestry Species Tree Planting Project in the Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve located in Lahad Datu, Sabah, a project announced in mid-2019.

Palm oil impacts on biodiversity by IUCN (2018)

In other news, the rise of green diesel in Indonesia, i.e. biofuel made entirely from palm oil worries, are not without its concerns; higher demand for green diesel means higher demand for palm oil, which for some experts translates to more environmental problems including loss of biodiversity and forest areas.

Additionally, then-Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok also stated that the additional RM1 cess per tonne of palm oil produced would be collected and funnelled into a fund for green initiatives, which will then be utilised for wildlife conservation purposes and green initiatives, particularly for forest replanting.

MPOC has hosted talks, conferences and seminars about the sustainability of palm oil. Recently, it held a webinar on the 12th August 2020 in conjunction with World Elephant’s Day, with an overarching theme of ‘Human and Wildlife Co-existence: Turning Conflict into Co-existence’ focusing on human-wildlife coexistence within palm oil plantations and the conservation efforts in protecting the animals who have lost their homes. The panels consisted of Mr. Erik Meijaard (Chair of the IUCN Palm Oil Task Force), Mr. Vivek Menon (CEO of Wildlife Trust India), Dr. Senthilvel Nathan (Sabah Wildlife Department), and Mr. Izham Mustaffa (FELDA).

Aerial view of the Kinabatangan area in Sabah showing oil palm and partial river corridors. Full forest connectivity is crucial to allow wildlife to move through these multifunctional landscapes. Photo and caption credit by Marc Ancrenaz/Mongabay.

Mr. Meijaard discussed biodiversity conservation in oil palm landscapes and commented that it could be better. He explained that palm oil concession companies should set aside 60% of its landholdings for conservation efforts as done by PT KAL (in Indonesia); interestingly, he talked about conservation for orangutans as they are more likely to inhabit palm oil plantations, thereby substantiating the need for a conservation area to allow a ‘cohabitation’. He also questioned the effectiveness of translocating orangutans which involves rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing them back into the wild. What is needed is an effective biodiversity management.

Mr. Vivek Menon and Dr. Senthilvel Nathan approached human-wildlife coexistence, specifically between humans and elephants. Mr. Menon has put forth several strategies for coexistence between humans and elephants, including: (1) addressing habitat shrinkage and fragmentation by securing elephant corridors; (2) addressing and reducing human-elephant conflict through efforts such as voluntary relocation of families and smart infrastructure; and (3) raising the people’s tolerance for elephants.

Dr. Senthilvel Nathan spoke on the human-elephant conflict in Sabah. He noted that elephant deaths in Sabah are attributed to mainly hunting (ivory), accidental deaths (elephants falling into mud pools), and diseases (tuberculosis). There are wildlife management issues, lack of resources and poor coordination between NGOs, industry stakeholders, corporations, and the government; and a lack of general awareness, and poor understanding of several key scientific facts. He pointed to the Sabah State Bornean Elephant Action Plan (2020-2029) that was planned by the Sabah State government through the Elephant Task Force.

Bornean elephants feeding in an oil palm plantation. Photo and caption credit: Nurzahafarina Othman/Mongabay.

The last speaker, Mr. Izham Mustaffa spoke of human-wildlife coexistence from the industry’s perspective. He explained the effects of human-wildlife conflicts: plantations are damaged, palm oil trees were mostly uprooted or broken down. He referred to elephants wandering into the plantations looking for food, leading to standoffs between humans and elephants. The preventive actions taken by FELDA include electric fencing at the borders and translocations to forest-reserves. Mr. Izham suggested a few ways to coexist between humans and elephants: (1) increase awareness among stakeholders and settlers; (2) enriching wildlife habitat; (3) increase food availability in the forest reserve; and (4) establishment of wildlife corridors.

In a nutshell, the webinar was mainly about the conservation of biodiversity in palm oil plantations, which would be possible if all relevant stakeholders have a strong political and public willpower when managing palm oil plantations.

For more on the arguments put forth by the panelists about the importance of biodiversity conservation, just click here.

By Cyrene PERERA, Segi Enam intern, 17 Nov 2020 | LinkedIn

Edited by KHOR Yu Leng and Nadirah SHARIF

Smallholders in the Palm Oil Sector

The importance of smallholders in the palm oil sector is often misunderstood or overlooked, especially when it comes to their role in improving the sustainability of the industry. Sustainability criteria, including the ESG standards, are used by palm oil companies for complying to international requirements and increasing economic benefits, but the reported scores are rarely a reflection of the local reality (Moohan-Sidhu, 2018; Thoumi, 2018).

Smallholders, as defined by the RSPO, are farmers growing palm in small plantations with an area below 50 ha where the family provides most of the labor. These family farms manage 40% of the global palm oil production area, a percentage which will continue to expand due to companies facing increasing barriers for opening new large tracts of land (Jeezer et al., 2019). Independent smallholders, as opposed to those under a scheme, are the most neglected in the sector. They have more difficulty accessing financial resources and produce around 20% lower yields than company plantations (Jelsma et al., 2019). Independent farmers represent a large portion of all smallholder area—for example, in Indonesia more than half of these area, 2.54 million ha, corresponds to independent smallholders. 

A Lubuk Beringin villager, Rahimah, 70, harvests palm nuts for palm oil on her agroforestry farm at Lubuk Beringin village in Jambi province, Indonesia. Caption from: Hans Nicholas Jong/Mongabay. Photo by: Tri Saputro/CIFOR/Flickr.

Including smallholders in the palm oil supply chain and addressing their state of exclusion is crucial for attaining environmental and social results. Despite some attempts to promote the adoption of standards among small producers only a low number of independent smallholders have been certified (Sagar et al. 2019). In Indonesia, only 1% hold a RSPO or ISPO certification (WRI, 2018). Other efforts led by palm oil companies which claim sustainability objectives, such as the Indonesia Palm Oil Development for Smallholders program implemented by Musim Mas, are focused on improving the productivity and traceability of smallholders along the supply chain. However, these ultimately end up benefitting companies but having little environmental impact. These initiatives do not show clear results in terms of avoided deforestation nor accountability for the distribution of premia returns to local communities.

Including smallholders and reducing the barriers they face are crucial for attaining credible and measurable sustainability results at a significant scale. While increasing the equity of the palm oil supply chain will create its own set of challenges, such addressing the complex traceability, accessibility, and layered sourcing system, ultimately it is worth the effort.

By Sandra CHIRI, 16 Nov 2020

Faith Leaders: Evangelicals, Trump, and the 2020 US Elections

Faith leaders and voters are storming heaven with prayers as the US presidential election remains inconclusive with several states having yet to tabulate all votes. Trump’s special advisor, Paula White-Cain, has been in the forefront leading prayers for the president in a video that has since gone viral.

Khor Report’s PolTracker has gathered social media data on key faith leaders in the US. Read our results here.

The Final Countdown: The Eve of the 2020 US Elections

It’s time for the 2020 US elections, and social media is again playing its huge part as it did four years ago. While the PolTracker team has extracted data on Twitter mentions and sentiments on the current Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, being halfway across the world makes analysing said data a bit more difficult. Instead, we had the team give their personal thoughts. Click here to read more.

The King and I? The 2020 Bangkok Protests

Thailand has been witnessing a series of pro-democracy demonstrations since July. These protests attracted lots of support from the young people and urban elites, but what makes these protests notable is that it tackles the issue of the monarchy head on for the first time. This is reflected in Thai social media, where a surprisingly audacious hashtag about the king had been used by over two million Twitter users.

Naturally, Khor Reports’ PolTracker team analysed how several selected hashtags are trending on Thai Twitter. Head over here to read our results of this analysis.

911, What's Your Emergency: Emergency Talk Sends Malaysia Abuzz (Again)

Emergency was the buzz word last week. Word spread that the ruling government sought emergency rule to break to spread of COVID-19 as the numbers continue to rise and to avert political instability. Last Friday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had an audience with the Yang Dipertuan Agung (YDPA; the King) where he requested that he declare a state of emergency.

Curious about how social media is reacting towards this new political development, Khor Reports’ PolTracker team analysed Twitter mentions of selected hashtags and key personalities. Click here to read about our results.

Prepare for Trouble, Make it Double: Anger in Malaysia after Double Standards by Government

In the past two weeks, Malaysians have taken to the social media to vent their frustrations over the handling of the surge of COVID-19. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who had built his legitimacy on his swift tackling of the COVID-19 earlier this year saw his popular streak came to a grinding halt. Public sentiment turned against him in what they perceived as double-standard when his cabinet members were not subjected to quarantine upon returning from campaigning from Sabah.

Khor Reports’ PolTracker team took this opportunity to analyse how selected hashtags are trending on Twitter. Head over here to read our results of this analysis.

SCMP: The Wrangling in Raub Struck a Stark Contrast to the Thai Durian Export Juggernaut

A legal battle is underway between Raub durian farmers and a state-backed conglomerate. The dispute involved allegations that the farmers were encroaching and converting state government land into illegal durian plantations, as well as accusations that the Royal Pahang Durian Resources (RPDR) was exploiting the small-scale farmers by demanding unreasonable yield targets in a deal to legalise them.

The conundrum now involves an enquiry by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), who are questioning the farmers over the aforementioned land encroachment.

A recent SCMP article by Tashny Sukumaran covered the story in more detail, in which our principal Khor Yu Leng was quoted.

The wrangling in Raub struck a stark contrast to the Thai durian export juggernaut, said economist Khor Yu Leng, noting that Thailand had recorded almost US$1 billion in sales to China from March to June.

“Trade is just getting its footing and it would be unwise for people to try and muscle in,” she said.

While Malaysia has pinned great hopes on its new channel of frozen durian exports, the word from some eyeing volume to China is for volume to be flattish against 2019. Last year, China approved Malaysian imports, although this appeared to be delayed; durian insiders said there were some wrangling on the Malaysia-side over who would be allowed to export under the then-Pakatan Harapan administration.

This came as surprise as Malaysia is coming up from almost zero-base; tackling the China market seemed to offer enough room for all enterprising exporters. More recently, wrangles have appeared in the Raub area, which also supplies the famed Musang king (mao shan wang/MSW) durian. The previously described legal saga has unlicensed farmers fearing lopsided terms with a joint venture durian concessionaire-cum-marketing wannabe. In the meantime, the Thai durian export juggernaut has powered ahead with almost USD1 billion in sales to China in March-June, a record sales volume with unit prices doubling in the last two years.