KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) said it does not see any dramatic changes in the consumption of local cooking oil although some of the fast food chain outlets in the country that are allegedly linked to Israel are facing a decline in sales.
“Some outlets may be affected but remember during Covid-19 when we expected a huge decline in exports of crude palm oil (CPO) as people did not dine out, it turned out we exported more to meet the demand from people who opted to cook at home and trying out new recipes.
“Therefore, it is still too early to predict whether the boycott will affect our local consumption of cooking oil (by these fast food chains) and at the global level,” Malaysian Palm Oil Board director-general Datuk Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir told Bernama on the sidelines of the three-day MPOB International Palm Oil Congress and Exhibition (PIPOC 2023) beginning today.
In showing their solidarity with the Palestinians, some Malaysians have boycotted companies and goods with alleged ties to Israel.
McDonald’s Malaysia managing director and local operating partner Datuk Azmir Jaafar was recently reported as saying that the boycott campaign is impacting its business and employees.
Israel has killed more than 10,000 people, including 4,100 children, in Gaza since it began bombing the besieged enclave on Oct 7.
The number of people injured is more than 25,000, according to official Palestinian figures on Monday. –Bernama
