Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday he would not retract his criticism of Indian actions in Jammu and Kashmir despite Indian traders calling for a boycott of Malaysian palm oil.
India Planning To Cut Imports From Malaysia For Hostile Kashmir Remarks
The impasse could intensify what Malaysian PM described as a trade war between the world’s second-biggest producer and exporter of the commodity and its biggest buyer so far this year.
India’s top vegetable oil trade body on Monday asked its members to stop buying Malaysian palm oil after PM Mahathir Mohamad said at the United Nations General Assembly last month that India had “invaded and occupied” Kashmir.
Turkey To Lose A Whopping $2.3 Billion Deal From India After Erdogan Rants Over Kashmir
Mahathir said Malaysia would study the impact of the boycott called by the Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors’ Association of India and look at ways to address the issue. New Delhi has so far declined to comment on the trade spat.
#BoycottMalaysia Trends In India After Malaysian PM Says India Invaded Kashmir
“This is not the Indian government, so we have to find out how we can communicate with these people because trade is a two-way thing and it is bad to have what amounts to a trade war,” Mahathir said.
Malaysia’s exports to India were worth $10.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, while imports totalled $6.4 billion, according to Indian government data.
Malaysia Looks To Ease Tensions With India After New Delhi Threatens To Curb Imports
Malaysian palm oil futures slipped on Tuesday over concerns demand would fall from India. India was Malaysia’s third-largest export destination in 2018 for palm oil and palm-based products worth 6.84 billion ringgit ($1.63 billion).
Malaysia said last week it was considering raising imports of raw sugar and buffalo meat from India, in a bid to ease the trade tensions. India, the world’s biggest importer of edible oils, also buys palm oil from Indonesia as well as soyoil from Argentina and Brazil, and sunflower oil from Ukraine.
