Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok says any interested party can buy Sime Darby shares in the open market.
Dompok, however, said he was not aware of news reports that the Chinese government wants to acquire stakes in the company.
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard about this rumour, I don’t know,” he told reporters when asked whether the Chinese government would buy Sime Darby Bhd shares
A foreign wire agency had reported that the Malaysian government was preparing “something special” for Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit to Malaysia this week which includes a deal to sell 10 per cent stake in Sime Darby, the world’s largest listed oil palm plantation group.
The local media had reported in September that the government had offered China a portion of the country’s leading multinational conglomerate.
Since Dompok said he was not aware of the Chinese government buying a stake in Sime Darby, he was then asked if it was not Sime Darby, could it be Felda?.
“I also don’t know but I will not be surprised if they do. Anyone is free to buy the shares in the open market. I will not be surprised if it does happen (China acquiring stakes in Sime Darby).
“I’m not aware of the China Government buying stakes in any Malaysian company, whether Sime Darby, Felda or any plantation company,” added Dompok who earlier opened the International Palm Oil Congress (PIPOC) 2009.
PIPOC features five concurrent conferences covering upstream, midstream, downstream, economics and marketing related to the palm oil industry.
It caters for parties involved in the oil palm, oils and fats, research and development personnel, scientists, planters, millers, traders, processors, manufacturers, economists, policymakers and academicians.
The four-day congress is especially useful for networking with their peers in the oil palm industry, exchanging views and sharing new ideas.
Present at the event were Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) chairman Datuk Sabri Ahmad and MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Basri Wahid.
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