An outright ban on the palm oil imports does not just penalise and hurt the entity involved, but in reality, it will affect the livelihood of the smallholders and settlers, says the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC).

Reacting to the United States (US) palm oil imports ban on a plantation company recently, MPOCC chief executive officer Chew Jit Seng said it is a cultural norm in the rural Asian and Malaysian communities, for children to accompany their parents or guardians at work in the agricultural sector during off-school hours for social safety reasons, especially if both parents work at the same time and place.