Earlier in March, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said that a spoonful of palm oil a day would make her younger. It became a viral topic as she had to do such stunt to promote palm oil against the EU ban.
She received criticisms over her remarks, but she does not slow down in addressing palm oil in the month of April.
From the influencers list of “Palm Oil”, Teresa Kok took the top spot with 453 statements. But she is not alone in this battle as other ministers also address the nation’s palm oil industry struggle. There are Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
Palm oil is a top contributor for Malaysia’s GDP under the agriculture sector. According to the data from Department of Statistic Malaysia, almost half of the GDP from the agriculture sector is from palm oil, taking up 46.6%. This translates to RM44.8 billion or 3.8% of the whole Malaysia’s GDP for the year 2017.
When focusing on the media, it is not surprising that The Edge took the lead in producing the most articles (166 news) on palm oil as the topic concerns the nation’s business and economy. Other than Bernama which published 134 news, other media produced less than 100 news each.’
Source: Malaysia Indicator
