KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today admitted that Malaysia had cleared vast tracts of forest to develop its palm oil sector, but said that the practice had now been stopped, as the nation has adopted a more sustainable approach.

The prime minister also gave the assurance in his speech at the Asean Leaders Gathering in Bali that the palm oil produced by Malaysia will conform to “certain standards”.

"Malaysia has always been very conscious about the sustainability of its development. It’s true we had to fell many trees in our forests in order to grow oil palm, palm trees, but today, we have stopped doing so because we feel there can be other sources of income for us.

“At the same time of course, we are ensuring that the palm oil produced by Malaysia conforms to certain standards, which means that it will not cause any more destruction of the forest in Malaysia,” he said.

https://www.malaymail.com/s/1681871/malaysias-palm-oil-now-sustainable-pm-tells-asean-leaders-in-bali