Palm oil news January 2024
CSPO Watch
For all the news on the global palm oil industry. January 2024
Makin' it easy for you to monitor developments in the palm oil industry
For all the news on the global palm oil industry. January 2024
Makin' it easy for you to monitor developments in the palm oil industry
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Jan 31, 2024
Indonesia-East Kalimantan follows up on investment cooperation with China's Anhui
Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP) of East Kalimantan held a meeting to follow up on the investment cooperation with the Anhui Provincial Government, China.
"This meeting is a continuation of the signing of the letter of interest (LOI) between East Kalimantan Acting Governor Akmal Malik and Anhui Vice Governor Shan Xiangqian in Jakarta on December 4, 2023," East Kalimantan DPMPTSP Head Puguh Harjanto remarked here on Wednesday.
Harjanto stated that the meeting aimed to discuss the proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) text between the two provinces, such as the investment sector that is ready to be offered and other developing matters.
"We want to ensure that this cooperation can provide benefits for both parties, especially for the development of East Kalimantan and its economic potential to welcome the national capital development," he remarked.
Harjanto highlighted that agriculture, plantation, industry, and infrastructure were the priority sectors for cooperation between East Kalimantan and Anhui.
"We hope this collaboration would increase the added value of East Kalimantan's local products, create new jobs, and support the development of Nusantara Capital," he remarked.
Acting Governor of East Kalimantan Akmal Malik explained that East Kalimantan has several advantages that can be utilized to boost economic cooperation with Anhui.
One of the advantages that East Kalimantan has is its strategic geographical position as the country's gateway. Antara News
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Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation: Towards a sustainable future with peatlands rehabilitation programme in Sarawak
Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation: Towards a sustainable future with peatlands rehabilitation programme in Sarawak
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — The Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) and Sime Darby Plantation are working together to rehabilitate degraded peatlands in palm oil plantations.
The first of its kind project, which aims to revive damaged peatlands back to their natural functioning ecosystems, is expected to become a model for the palm oil industry.
The importance of this project cannot be over emphasised as peatlands play a crucial role in Malaysia’s ecosystem and long-term environmental sustainability is not possible without their rehabilitation.
Peatlands, the most extensive category of wetlands in Malaysia, span an area of approximately 2.13 million hectares, constituting around 6.46 per cent of the total land area. Malay Mail
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Sabah, federal govts to collaborate on developing downstream oil palm industry
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will collaborate closely with the federal Plantation and Commodities Ministry to develop the downstream oil palm industry.
State Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe said he had recently met Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani to discuss on the strategic direction of downstream oil palm and biomass industries.
Both parties, he said, expressed a shared commitment to realising the aspirations of the Sabah government in developing these downstream industries, he said in a statement.
Phoong said, in addition to the downstream oil palm industry, special focus was directed toward the untapped potential of the biomass industry, which emerges as a pivotal component of Sabah's sustainable development agenda. New Straits Times
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Karnataka-Based, MK Agrotech And M11 Industries Pvt. Ltd Launch An Extensive Oil Palm Plantation Programme In Odisha Signs MoU With The Government Of Odisha
Bhubaneswar : Karnataka-based MK Agrotech Pvt Ltd, a leading edible oil and food company in India and M11 Industries, today announced the launch of its ambitious oil palm plantations programme in Odisha. The Karnataka-based companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). The oil palm plantation programme has been launched in Nuapada and Bolangir districts, with 31 farmers already on board. By 2029-30, the plan is to commence a palm oil mill in the state, with FFB processing capacity of 10 Metric Tons per Hour (TPH) initially. In fact, M11 industries Pvt Ltd’s team has initiated, in full swing, identifying progressive and interested farmers for oil palm plantations in Bolangir and Nuapada district in Odisha.
This will be followed by dedicated trainings, technical supports and capacity building along with assistance in establishment of nurseries and supply of quality planting materials to farmers. Micro irrigation will be the game changer and the focus is to ensure the farmers have irrigation systems installed in their farms. Technically sound with experience extension team has been discharging their job responsibilities day and night indefatigably in this arena of oil palm extension and development.The oil palm plantations will be productive to a greater extent in Bolangir and Nuapada districts as they come into contact with the oil palm farmers from the neighbouring Bargarh district with almost similar climatic and soil conditions. The farmers in Bargah are extremely happy with oil palm plantation, thanks to the returns and profits they’re making, limited marketing, less-labour-intensive crop and threefold increase in profit than paddy. Orissa Diary
Indonesia-East Kalimantan follows up on investment cooperation with China's Anhui
Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP) of East Kalimantan held a meeting to follow up on the investment cooperation with the Anhui Provincial Government, China.
"This meeting is a continuation of the signing of the letter of interest (LOI) between East Kalimantan Acting Governor Akmal Malik and Anhui Vice Governor Shan Xiangqian in Jakarta on December 4, 2023," East Kalimantan DPMPTSP Head Puguh Harjanto remarked here on Wednesday.
Harjanto stated that the meeting aimed to discuss the proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) text between the two provinces, such as the investment sector that is ready to be offered and other developing matters.
"We want to ensure that this cooperation can provide benefits for both parties, especially for the development of East Kalimantan and its economic potential to welcome the national capital development," he remarked.
Harjanto highlighted that agriculture, plantation, industry, and infrastructure were the priority sectors for cooperation between East Kalimantan and Anhui.
"We hope this collaboration would increase the added value of East Kalimantan's local products, create new jobs, and support the development of Nusantara Capital," he remarked.
Acting Governor of East Kalimantan Akmal Malik explained that East Kalimantan has several advantages that can be utilized to boost economic cooperation with Anhui.
One of the advantages that East Kalimantan has is its strategic geographical position as the country's gateway. Antara News
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Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation: Towards a sustainable future with peatlands rehabilitation programme in Sarawak
Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation: Towards a sustainable future with peatlands rehabilitation programme in Sarawak
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — The Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) and Sime Darby Plantation are working together to rehabilitate degraded peatlands in palm oil plantations.
The first of its kind project, which aims to revive damaged peatlands back to their natural functioning ecosystems, is expected to become a model for the palm oil industry.
The importance of this project cannot be over emphasised as peatlands play a crucial role in Malaysia’s ecosystem and long-term environmental sustainability is not possible without their rehabilitation.
Peatlands, the most extensive category of wetlands in Malaysia, span an area of approximately 2.13 million hectares, constituting around 6.46 per cent of the total land area. Malay Mail
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Sabah, federal govts to collaborate on developing downstream oil palm industry
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will collaborate closely with the federal Plantation and Commodities Ministry to develop the downstream oil palm industry.
State Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe said he had recently met Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani to discuss on the strategic direction of downstream oil palm and biomass industries.
Both parties, he said, expressed a shared commitment to realising the aspirations of the Sabah government in developing these downstream industries, he said in a statement.
Phoong said, in addition to the downstream oil palm industry, special focus was directed toward the untapped potential of the biomass industry, which emerges as a pivotal component of Sabah's sustainable development agenda. New Straits Times
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Karnataka-Based, MK Agrotech And M11 Industries Pvt. Ltd Launch An Extensive Oil Palm Plantation Programme In Odisha Signs MoU With The Government Of Odisha
Bhubaneswar : Karnataka-based MK Agrotech Pvt Ltd, a leading edible oil and food company in India and M11 Industries, today announced the launch of its ambitious oil palm plantations programme in Odisha. The Karnataka-based companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). The oil palm plantation programme has been launched in Nuapada and Bolangir districts, with 31 farmers already on board. By 2029-30, the plan is to commence a palm oil mill in the state, with FFB processing capacity of 10 Metric Tons per Hour (TPH) initially. In fact, M11 industries Pvt Ltd’s team has initiated, in full swing, identifying progressive and interested farmers for oil palm plantations in Bolangir and Nuapada district in Odisha.
This will be followed by dedicated trainings, technical supports and capacity building along with assistance in establishment of nurseries and supply of quality planting materials to farmers. Micro irrigation will be the game changer and the focus is to ensure the farmers have irrigation systems installed in their farms. Technically sound with experience extension team has been discharging their job responsibilities day and night indefatigably in this arena of oil palm extension and development.The oil palm plantations will be productive to a greater extent in Bolangir and Nuapada districts as they come into contact with the oil palm farmers from the neighbouring Bargarh district with almost similar climatic and soil conditions. The farmers in Bargah are extremely happy with oil palm plantation, thanks to the returns and profits they’re making, limited marketing, less-labour-intensive crop and threefold increase in profit than paddy. Orissa Diary
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Jan 30, 2024
Assessing tropical deforestation in Germany’s agricultural commodity supply chains
Germany’s trade and consumption of key commodities such as palm oil and soy is linked to significant deforestation risk in tropical and subtropical regions. This report, commissioned by the German government, offered key insights and recommended actions to facilitate the implementation of deforestation-free supply chains in the country.
The Amsterdam Declarations Partnership (ADP ) is a multilateral effort by ten European countries to eliminate deforestation related to agricultural commodity production by 2025. This Trase report is intended to help Germany in its efforts to meet the ADP commitments and prepare for new EU legislation which aims to regulate deforestation-free products.
Key findings
From 2016-2018, 94% of Germany’s directly imported deforestation risk was linked to just five key commodities: soy, coffee, palm oil, cocoa and cattle. More than 90% of this comes from nine countries, including Brazil Colombia, and Indonesia.
Deforestation risk in Germany’s supply chains has varied over time, but has recently begun to emerge in particular hotspots, such as Colombia.
Deforestation risk can be concentrated in particular areas within hotspots: more than half of Brazilian soy deforestation risk comes from just three municipalities in the Matopiba region.
As Germany is an important hub for trade and processing, adjusting for re-exports lowered deforestation risk exposure by around 20% overall, but this impact varied between commodities. For instance, making this adjustment halved the deforestation risk from cocoa and coffee.
Germany’s deforestation risk is larger than for France and Italy. SEI
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Toward Carbon Neutrality: Systematic Approach to Decarbonize Palm Oil Value Chain
Qian Thong Tan, Jaya Prasanth Rajakal, Chun Hsion Lim, Mimi H. Hassim, and Denny K. S. Ng*
Sector-specific strategies are needed to transition toward a low-carbon economy. Palm oil is a large-scale agriculture commodity in Malaysia, with a considerable carbon footprint. Therefore, decarbonization of the palm oil sector is crucial, accounting for emissions and mitigation opportunities along the entire value chain. Though several of the previous works have optimized the palm oil value chain (POVC), there exists a significant gap in the comprehensive evaluation of strategies to decarbonize the POVC. To address this gap, this work proposes a systematic approach to design an optimal POVC with minimum GHG emissions. This study considers integrated oil palm plantations (OPPs), integrated palm oil mills (POMs), and palm oil refineries (PORs) within the POVC boundary. An integrated OPP refers to plantation with an onsite biorefinery, while an integrated POM includes the milling process, biorefinery, palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment, and biogas upgradation. ACS Publications
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Okomu Oil Palm records pre-tax profit of N32.9 billion in 2023
Nigeria’s leading oil palm production company, Okomu Oil Palm has released its financial results for FY 2023, posting a pre-tax profit of N32.9 billion which marks a 43.4% increase from the N22.9 billion posted in FY 2022.
The company which is based in Edo State recorded a turnover of N75 billion in 2023, representing a 26.6% growth in revenue from the N59.2 billion recorded in 2022. In Q4 2023, the company recorded a turnover of N14.3 billion, which marks a year-on-year growth of 58.2% from the N9.07 billion recorded in Q4 2022.
Key Highlights FY 2023 (FY 2022, % Change) Naira Metrics
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Assessing tropical deforestation in Germany’s agricultural commodity supply chains
Germany’s trade and consumption of key commodities such as palm oil and soy is linked to significant deforestation risk in tropical and subtropical regions. This report, commissioned by the German government, offered key insights and recommended actions to facilitate the implementation of deforestation-free supply chains in the country.
The Amsterdam Declarations Partnership (ADP ) is a multilateral effort by ten European countries to eliminate deforestation related to agricultural commodity production by 2025. This Trase report is intended to help Germany in its efforts to meet the ADP commitments and prepare for new EU legislation which aims to regulate deforestation-free products.
Key findings
From 2016-2018, 94% of Germany’s directly imported deforestation risk was linked to just five key commodities: soy, coffee, palm oil, cocoa and cattle. More than 90% of this comes from nine countries, including Brazil Colombia, and Indonesia.
Deforestation risk in Germany’s supply chains has varied over time, but has recently begun to emerge in particular hotspots, such as Colombia.
Deforestation risk can be concentrated in particular areas within hotspots: more than half of Brazilian soy deforestation risk comes from just three municipalities in the Matopiba region.
As Germany is an important hub for trade and processing, adjusting for re-exports lowered deforestation risk exposure by around 20% overall, but this impact varied between commodities. For instance, making this adjustment halved the deforestation risk from cocoa and coffee.
Germany’s deforestation risk is larger than for France and Italy. SEI
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Toward Carbon Neutrality: Systematic Approach to Decarbonize Palm Oil Value Chain
Qian Thong Tan, Jaya Prasanth Rajakal, Chun Hsion Lim, Mimi H. Hassim, and Denny K. S. Ng*
Sector-specific strategies are needed to transition toward a low-carbon economy. Palm oil is a large-scale agriculture commodity in Malaysia, with a considerable carbon footprint. Therefore, decarbonization of the palm oil sector is crucial, accounting for emissions and mitigation opportunities along the entire value chain. Though several of the previous works have optimized the palm oil value chain (POVC), there exists a significant gap in the comprehensive evaluation of strategies to decarbonize the POVC. To address this gap, this work proposes a systematic approach to design an optimal POVC with minimum GHG emissions. This study considers integrated oil palm plantations (OPPs), integrated palm oil mills (POMs), and palm oil refineries (PORs) within the POVC boundary. An integrated OPP refers to plantation with an onsite biorefinery, while an integrated POM includes the milling process, biorefinery, palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment, and biogas upgradation. ACS Publications
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Okomu Oil Palm records pre-tax profit of N32.9 billion in 2023
Nigeria’s leading oil palm production company, Okomu Oil Palm has released its financial results for FY 2023, posting a pre-tax profit of N32.9 billion which marks a 43.4% increase from the N22.9 billion posted in FY 2022.
The company which is based in Edo State recorded a turnover of N75 billion in 2023, representing a 26.6% growth in revenue from the N59.2 billion recorded in 2022. In Q4 2023, the company recorded a turnover of N14.3 billion, which marks a year-on-year growth of 58.2% from the N9.07 billion recorded in Q4 2022.
Key Highlights FY 2023 (FY 2022, % Change) Naira Metrics
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Jan 29, 2024
Expert advisors to the UK government conclude that Malaysian palm oil is sustainable
KUALA LUMPUR: The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) – an expert advisory group to the UK Government – has concluded in an official report that Malaysian palm oil is sustainable, and that a zero-tariff rate for Malaysian palm oil would be beneficial for United Kingdom.
The Malaysian Palm Oil Council said the expert analysis concluded that the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard's sustainability requirementsnot only meet but exceed the UK legislation's requirements.
Malaysian Palm Oil Council chief executive officer Belvinder Sron said there are potential benefits to the UK should it export more Malaysian palm oil, because of higher sustainability standards in Malaysia compared with other countries. She urged the UK should move ahead with the planned zero tariff on Malaysian palm oil.
"This new independent expert report demonstrates this reality. MSPO is the gold standard for sustainable palm oil certification, and can provide assurance for both importers, and UK authorities, that all legal requirements are met and no deforestation has taken place"."Malaysia leads the world in sustainable palm oil certification, and we look forward to supplying more high-quality sustainable palm oil to the UK and other markets," said Sron.
The TAC provided expert advice to the government on business and trade on the UK's accession protocol to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Malaysia is one of the founding members of CPTPP.
Sron said it is clear from TAC'ss detailed expert report, that all domestic and international companies supplying the UK market can now have full confidence in MSPO as a genuine verification tool for the UK market.
"The next step should be for formal recognition by the UK Government of MSPO as a tool for compliance with the UK Due Diligence and associated regulations. "As the clear 'legality standard' for Malaysian palm oil, it is a ready-made compliance tool and deserves to be formally recognised by the UK government," she said. New Straits Times
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Malaysian Oil Palm Green Conservation Foundation: Achieving coexistence with wild elephants in Johor
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Over the past 30 years, the wild elephant population in Johor has been severely affected by deforestation for agriculture and plantation expansion.
With limited areas for foraging and roaming, elephants invariably cross paths with people, causing human-elephant interactions (HEI).
When palm oil smallholder Hamzah Ahmad first began clearing his plot of land in Sungai Ara, Kota Tinggi, Johor, in 2006, he said there were no wild elephants around.
“After four to five years, they started coming in,” said Hamzah, who has been farming on his own for 18 years.
Another palm oil smallholder, Idris Abu, also based in Sungai Ara, said he has encountered wild elephants many times.
“When you see them, whether in the village or plantation, trust me, you will be afraid of them and want to run,” said Idris, who started his plantation 16 years ago in 2008.
Luckily for Hamzah and Idris, efforts are being made to address their issues and protect the wild elephant population through the Human-Elephant Coexistence (HEC) Project at Sungai Ara in Kota Tinggi, Johor. Malay Mail
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EU deforestation law means uncertainty for African coffee
Monir Ghaedi
The EU aims to outlaw products sourced from deforested areas, but critics have said the new law could penalize so-called smallholder coffee farmers in Africa.
Many African smallholder coffee farmers, who primarily sell their harvest to European markets, now find their main source of income in jeopardy.
In 2023, the European Union (EU) established mandatory rules for companies dealing in commodities such as coffee, palm oil, and cocoa. The rules are designed to ensure that products imported to Europe do not originate from deforested land, land acquired forcibly from local and/or indigenous communities, or whose cultivation involves labor and/or human rights abuses. To avoid heavy fines, companies must prove compliance by the end of 2024.
"We're not seeing many buyers this year," Tsegaye Anebo, general manager of Ethiopia's Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, told DW. Typically, farmers receive orders for beans that will be sold in supermarkets and shops months later, but Anebo said the unclear consequences of the new EU regulations have created a "sense of ambiguity in the market." His observation is shared by several other African traders, such as the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union, which has raised concerns over EU companies shunning their products.
The EU's anti-deforestation law, known as EUDR, has garnered praise from environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, for assuring Europeans that the items in their shopping carts are not sourced from deforested areas. However, critics argue the new laws may penalize smallholder coffee farmers around the world, particularly in Africa, possibly resulting in a coffee shortage in Europe. DW
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Environmental group criticises Italy's Eni for use of palm oil by-product
MILAN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - European environmental lobby group Transport & Environment (T&E) criticised Eni (ENI.MI), opens new tab in a report on Monday, saying the Italian energy group's use of a palm oil by-product in its biofuel output showed it was reneging on previous commitments.
Palm oil cultivation results in excessive deforestation, the European Commission said in 2019, telling member countries to cap its use in biofuel production until 2023 and then phase it out by 2030.
Eni in 2020 pledged to become palm-oil free in its refineries by 2023, and in October 2022 it said it had met the goal ahead of schedule.
However T&E's report, titled "Broken promise: how Eni's refineries are still relying on palm-oil based products" showed evidence of tankers transporting palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD), a palm oil by-product, to Eni's refineries last year.
"This is despite scientific studies showing that PFADs are a driver of deforestation alongside crude palm oil," the report said.
The campaign group said this evidence clashed with Eni's 2020 promise to phase out crude palm oil and its derivatives.
In response, Eni said it had been a palm oil-free company since the end of 2022 and the use of PFAD is allowed under both EU and Italian regulations.
"PFAD is a waste by-product of the palm oil refining process," it said. "We disagree with equating the use of such a waste product with the use of palm oil itself."
Many other biofuel producers, including Europe's market leader Neste (NESTE.HE), opens new tab, also classify PFAD as a waste product of the refining process.
When Eni announced an end to its palm oil procurement in October 2022 it said it would continue to use waste by-products, in a change of tack from a previous pledge to eliminate the use of both palm oil itself and PFAD.
T&E said oil companies and biofuel manufacturers typically consider PFAD as "waste and residue", in order to exclude upstream emissions from assessments of the climate impact of the by-product.
Reporting by Francesca Landini, editing by Gavin Jones and Kylie MacLellan Reuters
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Nigeria-Association Seeks Establishment Oil Palm Council
The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to establish the National Oil Palm Development Council to address challenges in the industry and attract investors.
Ambassador Alphonsus Iyang, National President of the association made the appeal at the Annual General Meeting in Abuja.
Iyang said that the council should regulate and set up guidelines for investment in the oil palm industry.
According to him, the absence of a regulatory council is a major impediment to the development of the oil palm industry.
Iyang, who was reelected during the AGM, said the establishment of the council would make things easier for farmers, investors, firms and even the country.
“This council will be an enabler for the industry, it will also be the regulator and the ombudsman for the industry if things go wrong.
“Establishment of the council and with a board in place, will put an end to oil palm adulteration which has been a major challenge in the country.
“We are civilians and an association, we cannot deal with oil palm adulteration without the help of the government,” he said. Voice of Nigeria
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Nigeria-Plateau Partners COPASC on 4000-Hectare Palm Plantation
Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
Plateau State Government has partnered with Continental Oil Palm and Agric Services Consortium (COPASC) to lead the establishment of a 4000-hectare oil palm plantation in the state.
State Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. Bugama Samson Ishaku, represented by Hon. Ishaku Samalia Jilemsam, the Program Manager of the Plateau Agricultural Development Programme, who disclosed this, highlighted the long-term benefits of oil palm production, stating that these trees can thrive for more than 50 years, providing sustainable advantages for decades.
He said, “In oil palm production when you plant these trees, they can survive for more than 50 years. So, it’s an investment of 2-3 years of effort that yields benefits for over 40 years.”
Samalia emphasized the environmental advantages, noting that cultivating these crops contributes to carbon sequestration and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at addressing climate change.
“We are contributing to carbon credits in the environment because these plants sequester carbon. Therefore, we are also meeting SDG targets with this initiative. The government’s approach involves thorough sensitization to generate interest from farmers before providing seedlings”, Samalia explained. This Day Live
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Escalating food prices spark survival struggles across Nigeria, heightening national concerns
Nigeria is currently grappling with a severe crisis as citizens nationwide find it increasingly difficult to survive amidst a sharp surge in food prices.
A recent investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed alarming indicators of a nationwide struggle for survival, attributed to the persistent rise in the cost of essential foodstuffs and staples.
According to the report, in just one week, the prices of foodstuffs have witnessed a staggering increase ranging from 15 to 25 per cent.
Specific examples, such as the skyrocketing cost of a 50kg bag of small grain polished rice, reflect the widespread impact on household budgets.
What was sold for N52,000-N54,000 in the first week of January has now surged to an exorbitant N59,000-N60,000.
Markets across various regions, including Oko Oba in Lagos, Ojaoba in Akure, and Kadaure market in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have reported soaring prices of goods such as beans, garri, rice, yam, onions, tomatoes, pepper, fish, vegetable oil, and more.
Traders attribute the price hikes to factors such as the removal of fuel subsidy, leading to increased transport fares, and the escalating insecurity in the country, with traders becoming victims of kidnappings.
As a result, consumers are forced to adapt to the harsh economic realities, altering their purchasing habits and buying smaller quantities due to affordability challenges. Politics Nigeria
Expert advisors to the UK government conclude that Malaysian palm oil is sustainable
KUALA LUMPUR: The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) – an expert advisory group to the UK Government – has concluded in an official report that Malaysian palm oil is sustainable, and that a zero-tariff rate for Malaysian palm oil would be beneficial for United Kingdom.
The Malaysian Palm Oil Council said the expert analysis concluded that the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard's sustainability requirementsnot only meet but exceed the UK legislation's requirements.
Malaysian Palm Oil Council chief executive officer Belvinder Sron said there are potential benefits to the UK should it export more Malaysian palm oil, because of higher sustainability standards in Malaysia compared with other countries. She urged the UK should move ahead with the planned zero tariff on Malaysian palm oil.
"This new independent expert report demonstrates this reality. MSPO is the gold standard for sustainable palm oil certification, and can provide assurance for both importers, and UK authorities, that all legal requirements are met and no deforestation has taken place"."Malaysia leads the world in sustainable palm oil certification, and we look forward to supplying more high-quality sustainable palm oil to the UK and other markets," said Sron.
The TAC provided expert advice to the government on business and trade on the UK's accession protocol to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Malaysia is one of the founding members of CPTPP.
Sron said it is clear from TAC'ss detailed expert report, that all domestic and international companies supplying the UK market can now have full confidence in MSPO as a genuine verification tool for the UK market.
"The next step should be for formal recognition by the UK Government of MSPO as a tool for compliance with the UK Due Diligence and associated regulations. "As the clear 'legality standard' for Malaysian palm oil, it is a ready-made compliance tool and deserves to be formally recognised by the UK government," she said. New Straits Times
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Malaysian Oil Palm Green Conservation Foundation: Achieving coexistence with wild elephants in Johor
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Over the past 30 years, the wild elephant population in Johor has been severely affected by deforestation for agriculture and plantation expansion.
With limited areas for foraging and roaming, elephants invariably cross paths with people, causing human-elephant interactions (HEI).
When palm oil smallholder Hamzah Ahmad first began clearing his plot of land in Sungai Ara, Kota Tinggi, Johor, in 2006, he said there were no wild elephants around.
“After four to five years, they started coming in,” said Hamzah, who has been farming on his own for 18 years.
Another palm oil smallholder, Idris Abu, also based in Sungai Ara, said he has encountered wild elephants many times.
“When you see them, whether in the village or plantation, trust me, you will be afraid of them and want to run,” said Idris, who started his plantation 16 years ago in 2008.
Luckily for Hamzah and Idris, efforts are being made to address their issues and protect the wild elephant population through the Human-Elephant Coexistence (HEC) Project at Sungai Ara in Kota Tinggi, Johor. Malay Mail
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EU deforestation law means uncertainty for African coffee
Monir Ghaedi
The EU aims to outlaw products sourced from deforested areas, but critics have said the new law could penalize so-called smallholder coffee farmers in Africa.
Many African smallholder coffee farmers, who primarily sell their harvest to European markets, now find their main source of income in jeopardy.
In 2023, the European Union (EU) established mandatory rules for companies dealing in commodities such as coffee, palm oil, and cocoa. The rules are designed to ensure that products imported to Europe do not originate from deforested land, land acquired forcibly from local and/or indigenous communities, or whose cultivation involves labor and/or human rights abuses. To avoid heavy fines, companies must prove compliance by the end of 2024.
"We're not seeing many buyers this year," Tsegaye Anebo, general manager of Ethiopia's Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, told DW. Typically, farmers receive orders for beans that will be sold in supermarkets and shops months later, but Anebo said the unclear consequences of the new EU regulations have created a "sense of ambiguity in the market." His observation is shared by several other African traders, such as the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union, which has raised concerns over EU companies shunning their products.
The EU's anti-deforestation law, known as EUDR, has garnered praise from environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, for assuring Europeans that the items in their shopping carts are not sourced from deforested areas. However, critics argue the new laws may penalize smallholder coffee farmers around the world, particularly in Africa, possibly resulting in a coffee shortage in Europe. DW
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Environmental group criticises Italy's Eni for use of palm oil by-product
MILAN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - European environmental lobby group Transport & Environment (T&E) criticised Eni (ENI.MI), opens new tab in a report on Monday, saying the Italian energy group's use of a palm oil by-product in its biofuel output showed it was reneging on previous commitments.
Palm oil cultivation results in excessive deforestation, the European Commission said in 2019, telling member countries to cap its use in biofuel production until 2023 and then phase it out by 2030.
Eni in 2020 pledged to become palm-oil free in its refineries by 2023, and in October 2022 it said it had met the goal ahead of schedule.
However T&E's report, titled "Broken promise: how Eni's refineries are still relying on palm-oil based products" showed evidence of tankers transporting palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD), a palm oil by-product, to Eni's refineries last year.
"This is despite scientific studies showing that PFADs are a driver of deforestation alongside crude palm oil," the report said.
The campaign group said this evidence clashed with Eni's 2020 promise to phase out crude palm oil and its derivatives.
In response, Eni said it had been a palm oil-free company since the end of 2022 and the use of PFAD is allowed under both EU and Italian regulations.
"PFAD is a waste by-product of the palm oil refining process," it said. "We disagree with equating the use of such a waste product with the use of palm oil itself."
Many other biofuel producers, including Europe's market leader Neste (NESTE.HE), opens new tab, also classify PFAD as a waste product of the refining process.
When Eni announced an end to its palm oil procurement in October 2022 it said it would continue to use waste by-products, in a change of tack from a previous pledge to eliminate the use of both palm oil itself and PFAD.
T&E said oil companies and biofuel manufacturers typically consider PFAD as "waste and residue", in order to exclude upstream emissions from assessments of the climate impact of the by-product.
Reporting by Francesca Landini, editing by Gavin Jones and Kylie MacLellan Reuters
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Nigeria-Association Seeks Establishment Oil Palm Council
The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to establish the National Oil Palm Development Council to address challenges in the industry and attract investors.
Ambassador Alphonsus Iyang, National President of the association made the appeal at the Annual General Meeting in Abuja.
Iyang said that the council should regulate and set up guidelines for investment in the oil palm industry.
According to him, the absence of a regulatory council is a major impediment to the development of the oil palm industry.
Iyang, who was reelected during the AGM, said the establishment of the council would make things easier for farmers, investors, firms and even the country.
“This council will be an enabler for the industry, it will also be the regulator and the ombudsman for the industry if things go wrong.
“Establishment of the council and with a board in place, will put an end to oil palm adulteration which has been a major challenge in the country.
“We are civilians and an association, we cannot deal with oil palm adulteration without the help of the government,” he said. Voice of Nigeria
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Nigeria-Plateau Partners COPASC on 4000-Hectare Palm Plantation
Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
Plateau State Government has partnered with Continental Oil Palm and Agric Services Consortium (COPASC) to lead the establishment of a 4000-hectare oil palm plantation in the state.
State Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. Bugama Samson Ishaku, represented by Hon. Ishaku Samalia Jilemsam, the Program Manager of the Plateau Agricultural Development Programme, who disclosed this, highlighted the long-term benefits of oil palm production, stating that these trees can thrive for more than 50 years, providing sustainable advantages for decades.
He said, “In oil palm production when you plant these trees, they can survive for more than 50 years. So, it’s an investment of 2-3 years of effort that yields benefits for over 40 years.”
Samalia emphasized the environmental advantages, noting that cultivating these crops contributes to carbon sequestration and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at addressing climate change.
“We are contributing to carbon credits in the environment because these plants sequester carbon. Therefore, we are also meeting SDG targets with this initiative. The government’s approach involves thorough sensitization to generate interest from farmers before providing seedlings”, Samalia explained. This Day Live
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Escalating food prices spark survival struggles across Nigeria, heightening national concerns
Nigeria is currently grappling with a severe crisis as citizens nationwide find it increasingly difficult to survive amidst a sharp surge in food prices.
A recent investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed alarming indicators of a nationwide struggle for survival, attributed to the persistent rise in the cost of essential foodstuffs and staples.
According to the report, in just one week, the prices of foodstuffs have witnessed a staggering increase ranging from 15 to 25 per cent.
Specific examples, such as the skyrocketing cost of a 50kg bag of small grain polished rice, reflect the widespread impact on household budgets.
What was sold for N52,000-N54,000 in the first week of January has now surged to an exorbitant N59,000-N60,000.
Markets across various regions, including Oko Oba in Lagos, Ojaoba in Akure, and Kadaure market in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have reported soaring prices of goods such as beans, garri, rice, yam, onions, tomatoes, pepper, fish, vegetable oil, and more.
Traders attribute the price hikes to factors such as the removal of fuel subsidy, leading to increased transport fares, and the escalating insecurity in the country, with traders becoming victims of kidnappings.
As a result, consumers are forced to adapt to the harsh economic realities, altering their purchasing habits and buying smaller quantities due to affordability challenges. Politics Nigeria
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Jan 27, 2024
Deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions could arise when replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils
Maria Vincenza Chiriacò , Nikolas Galli , Monia Santini , Maria Cristina Rulli
Highlights
Incentivizing deforestation-free palm oil over replacing it with other vegetable oils is more effective in reducing deforestation.
Conventional and deforestation-free palm oil is compared with other vegetable oils in terms of land use change, deforestation, GHG emissions and threat to food security.
GHG emissions include carbon stock loss from LUC for oil crops expansion and anthropogenic emissions from field production via LCA.
Replacing palm oil with soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oil could endanger up to 51.9 Mha of global forests, with a worthless effect on emissions reduction.
Switching the entire palm oil production to deforestation-free method yields a significant 92% cut in GHG emissions. Science Direct
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Johor Plantations inks deal with Fuji Oil Asia to develop specialty oils and fats refinery
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): Johor Plantations Group Bhd has inked a venture agreement with Fuji Oil Asia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Japan's Fuji Oil Group, to develop a specialty oils and fats refinery operating on renewable energy.
The plantation group, which is slated for a Main Market listing on the local bourse, said the strategic partnership brings together the expertise and commitment of two industry leaders and aligns with both companies’ dedication to environmental responsibility and innovation.
According to the group, Fuji Oil Group is a renowned global food ingredient manufacturer.
“Our collaboration with Fuji Oil, a worldwide leader in food ingredients, underscores our aspiration to become an integrated palm oil player by working with international partners to produce sustainable and responsible essentials for mankind. The Edge Malaysia
---------
Biofuels and Land Rights: Navigating the Legal Landscape for Sustainable Production
In a perfect world, sustainable biofuel production will steer clear of indigenous land, while at the same time using a great deal of profits for preventing active deforestation.
Energy production has a firm grip on the health of our environment. People are looking for new ways to loosen their dependence on fossil fuels, using solar energy to power their homes, and turning in their gas-powered cars for greener, electric vehicles (EVs). EVs offer several benefits to the average consumer, including the fact that they have zero tailpipe emissions and reduce one’s dependence on fossil fuels. However, electric power may not be able to address all of a society’s fuel needs – which is where biofuels come in.
The use of biofuels for important manufacturing machinery and transportation is something many businesses are considering or even currently investing in. However, this transition becomes complex when these businesses impede indigenous land rights. Harvesting natural resources and relocating manufacturing facilities onto land where indigenous folks have deeply entrenched cultural ties creates a ripple effect that could offset whatever good can come from the production of sustainable biofuels in the first place.
Where Do Biofuels Come From?
Biofuel tends to be made from plant-based materials, like sugarcane, algae, and corn, or animal fats. Biodiesels, which are produced from animal fats and oils, use a transesterification process to convert a mixture of these oily products and alcohol into renewable energy. This fuel source has a positive environmental impact, especially when incorporated into the transportation industry. Most light-to-heavy diesel vehicles can run on a biodiesel hybrid, reducing carbon emissions by nearly 75% and allowing businesses the opportunity to use this efficient fuel source for their delivery truck fleet. Legal Reader
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Securing rights for plantation workers in Malaysia
BUILDING a better life for family was Panji’s main source of motivation to work tirelessly, even if it meant doing hard labour.He noticed that friends and relatives who had migrated to work in Malaysia could afford to build comfortable houses for their families and provide proper education for their children.
Upon turning 18 years-old, Panji who hails from the Kalimantan Barat province of Borneo, Indonesia, left his village to work in Malaysia’s oil palm sector.Based on the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) report titled ‘The Cost of Hope: Stories of Migrant Workers in Palm Oil Plantations in Malaysia’, Panji was reported as one of the more fortunate guest workers to have landed on Malaysian soil.
Under Section 33A(1) Malaysian Employment Act 7 — implemented by the Malaysian Labour Department — Malaysian companies are not permitted to directly recruit low-skilled guest workers from a number of countries including Indonesia, and must engage with a licensed recruiter which arranges all administrative requirements in the countries of origin.Panji was lucky enough to be connected to an ethical sub-agent from his village, who was connected to a recruitment agency.
He then received all the necessary help to secure a job as a harvester in an oil palm plantation after paying a fee, which his family could afford without going into debt.Within three months, Panji signed an employment contract which he could easily read and understand as it was written in Bahasa Indonesia — it is common for guest workers to receive employment contracts written in a foreign language which they do not understand; putting them at risk of being exploited. The StarMY
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East Kalimantan supports national palm oil industry downstreaming
Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The East Kalimantan provincial government fully supports the downstreaming program of the national palm oil industry that aims to make the palm oil plantation sector as one of the mainstays of the Indonesian economy.
"This downstreaming program is very important to increase the economic and social benefits of the palm oil industry, for farmers, entrepreneurs, and the wider community," Head of the East Kalimantan Plantation Office Ahmad Muzakkir stated here on Tuesday.
Muzakkir said his side is ready to support the central government's policies and programs in the palm oil industry.
According to the office head, East Kalimantan has vast potential to develop the palm oil downstreaming industry, as it is one of the largest palm oil-producing provinces in Indonesia.
"Palm oil is East Kalimantan's leading commodity, with a (plantation) area of 1.4 million hectares, comprising 972 thousand hectares owned by large private companies and 373 thousand of smallholder plantations," he stated.
East Kalimantan's production of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) reached 19.2 million tons or equivalent to 3.8 million tons of crude palm oil (CPO) per year.
Muzakkir said, with the innovation of palm oil plantation technology recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture, there is a huge potential to establish a mini palm cooking oil factory (Pamigo).
He said independent plantation smallholders, with the FFB raw materials, have the opportunity to open Pamigos.
With the provincial budget support, Muzakkir said his side has helped build 12,472 hectares of smallholder plantations that are spread across seven districts and cities, 31 sub-districts, and 66 villages, involving 206 farmer groups and 8,076 households.
In 2023, the East Kalimantan Plantation Office recorded a budget absorption of around 95.16 percent and was ranked sixth nationally, and almost all of its programs were well-implemented. Antara News
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Deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions could arise when replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils
Maria Vincenza Chiriacò , Nikolas Galli , Monia Santini , Maria Cristina Rulli
Highlights
Incentivizing deforestation-free palm oil over replacing it with other vegetable oils is more effective in reducing deforestation.
Conventional and deforestation-free palm oil is compared with other vegetable oils in terms of land use change, deforestation, GHG emissions and threat to food security.
GHG emissions include carbon stock loss from LUC for oil crops expansion and anthropogenic emissions from field production via LCA.
Replacing palm oil with soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oil could endanger up to 51.9 Mha of global forests, with a worthless effect on emissions reduction.
Switching the entire palm oil production to deforestation-free method yields a significant 92% cut in GHG emissions. Science Direct
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Johor Plantations inks deal with Fuji Oil Asia to develop specialty oils and fats refinery
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): Johor Plantations Group Bhd has inked a venture agreement with Fuji Oil Asia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Japan's Fuji Oil Group, to develop a specialty oils and fats refinery operating on renewable energy.
The plantation group, which is slated for a Main Market listing on the local bourse, said the strategic partnership brings together the expertise and commitment of two industry leaders and aligns with both companies’ dedication to environmental responsibility and innovation.
According to the group, Fuji Oil Group is a renowned global food ingredient manufacturer.
“Our collaboration with Fuji Oil, a worldwide leader in food ingredients, underscores our aspiration to become an integrated palm oil player by working with international partners to produce sustainable and responsible essentials for mankind. The Edge Malaysia
---------
Biofuels and Land Rights: Navigating the Legal Landscape for Sustainable Production
In a perfect world, sustainable biofuel production will steer clear of indigenous land, while at the same time using a great deal of profits for preventing active deforestation.
Energy production has a firm grip on the health of our environment. People are looking for new ways to loosen their dependence on fossil fuels, using solar energy to power their homes, and turning in their gas-powered cars for greener, electric vehicles (EVs). EVs offer several benefits to the average consumer, including the fact that they have zero tailpipe emissions and reduce one’s dependence on fossil fuels. However, electric power may not be able to address all of a society’s fuel needs – which is where biofuels come in.
The use of biofuels for important manufacturing machinery and transportation is something many businesses are considering or even currently investing in. However, this transition becomes complex when these businesses impede indigenous land rights. Harvesting natural resources and relocating manufacturing facilities onto land where indigenous folks have deeply entrenched cultural ties creates a ripple effect that could offset whatever good can come from the production of sustainable biofuels in the first place.
Where Do Biofuels Come From?
Biofuel tends to be made from plant-based materials, like sugarcane, algae, and corn, or animal fats. Biodiesels, which are produced from animal fats and oils, use a transesterification process to convert a mixture of these oily products and alcohol into renewable energy. This fuel source has a positive environmental impact, especially when incorporated into the transportation industry. Most light-to-heavy diesel vehicles can run on a biodiesel hybrid, reducing carbon emissions by nearly 75% and allowing businesses the opportunity to use this efficient fuel source for their delivery truck fleet. Legal Reader
---------
Securing rights for plantation workers in Malaysia
BUILDING a better life for family was Panji’s main source of motivation to work tirelessly, even if it meant doing hard labour.He noticed that friends and relatives who had migrated to work in Malaysia could afford to build comfortable houses for their families and provide proper education for their children.
Upon turning 18 years-old, Panji who hails from the Kalimantan Barat province of Borneo, Indonesia, left his village to work in Malaysia’s oil palm sector.Based on the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) report titled ‘The Cost of Hope: Stories of Migrant Workers in Palm Oil Plantations in Malaysia’, Panji was reported as one of the more fortunate guest workers to have landed on Malaysian soil.
Under Section 33A(1) Malaysian Employment Act 7 — implemented by the Malaysian Labour Department — Malaysian companies are not permitted to directly recruit low-skilled guest workers from a number of countries including Indonesia, and must engage with a licensed recruiter which arranges all administrative requirements in the countries of origin.Panji was lucky enough to be connected to an ethical sub-agent from his village, who was connected to a recruitment agency.
He then received all the necessary help to secure a job as a harvester in an oil palm plantation after paying a fee, which his family could afford without going into debt.Within three months, Panji signed an employment contract which he could easily read and understand as it was written in Bahasa Indonesia — it is common for guest workers to receive employment contracts written in a foreign language which they do not understand; putting them at risk of being exploited. The StarMY
---------
East Kalimantan supports national palm oil industry downstreaming
Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The East Kalimantan provincial government fully supports the downstreaming program of the national palm oil industry that aims to make the palm oil plantation sector as one of the mainstays of the Indonesian economy.
"This downstreaming program is very important to increase the economic and social benefits of the palm oil industry, for farmers, entrepreneurs, and the wider community," Head of the East Kalimantan Plantation Office Ahmad Muzakkir stated here on Tuesday.
Muzakkir said his side is ready to support the central government's policies and programs in the palm oil industry.
According to the office head, East Kalimantan has vast potential to develop the palm oil downstreaming industry, as it is one of the largest palm oil-producing provinces in Indonesia.
"Palm oil is East Kalimantan's leading commodity, with a (plantation) area of 1.4 million hectares, comprising 972 thousand hectares owned by large private companies and 373 thousand of smallholder plantations," he stated.
East Kalimantan's production of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) reached 19.2 million tons or equivalent to 3.8 million tons of crude palm oil (CPO) per year.
Muzakkir said, with the innovation of palm oil plantation technology recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture, there is a huge potential to establish a mini palm cooking oil factory (Pamigo).
He said independent plantation smallholders, with the FFB raw materials, have the opportunity to open Pamigos.
With the provincial budget support, Muzakkir said his side has helped build 12,472 hectares of smallholder plantations that are spread across seven districts and cities, 31 sub-districts, and 66 villages, involving 206 farmer groups and 8,076 households.
In 2023, the East Kalimantan Plantation Office recorded a budget absorption of around 95.16 percent and was ranked sixth nationally, and almost all of its programs were well-implemented. Antara News
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Jan 26, 2024
Malaysia's POME exports to EU soar in 2023 on healthy waste feedstocks demand
Malaysia's exports of palm oil mill effluent, or POME, climbed in 2023 from a year ago, fueled by healthy demand for waste-derived feedstocks for biodiesel production in the EU, according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Export shipments of POME swelled 184% on the year to 415,520 mt in 2023, while other key palm products exported to the EU such as crude palm and palm stearin dropped 41.78% and 5.8%, respectively.
These three palm derivatives accounted for 35% of the total Malaysian palm products exported to Europe last year, and demand for POME saw a staggering increase last year compared with 2022, the MPOC noted.
The MPOC attributed the rise in POME exports to robust demand for POME from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium.
"The appetite toward POME is likely to remain strong, given its waste-derived feedstock status... sales to the EU could grow further this year," a Singapore-based trader said. SP Global
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Malaysia-Ensuring traceability in our oil palm industry with SIMS
By Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir
Our oil palm industry which is growing rapidly needs an integrated information communication technology (ICT) system to facilitate the process of managing and monitoring transaction data along the industry chain.
Without such system, access to transactional information throughout the oil palm industry chain is limited, thus, making traceability and effective monitoring difficult.
On the other hand, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) licensees also need a simple, fast and safe method to manage their respective transaction information.
As such, MPOB has developed Sawit Intelligent Management System (SIMS), an integrated system which can facilitate the process of gathering and analysing information along the industry supply chain.
The innovative system tracks and monitors daily transactions of the supply chain of palm oil products from the sale of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) to the final products of the manufacturers and the exporters of palm oil.
This data sharing will only happen when both buyers and sellers agree to share their transaction records. SIMS acts as an information collection system as its centralised data collection is able to support the tracking system. New Straits Times
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Johor Plantations, Japan's Fuji Oil to develop specialty oils & fats refinery
KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Plantations Group Bhd has teamed up with Fuji Oil Asia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the Fuji Oil Group, to develop a specialty oils and fats refinery operating on renewable energy in Osaka, Japan.
The partnership brings together the expertise and commitment of two industry leaders and aligns with both companies' dedication to environmental responsibility and innovation.
Fuji Oil Asia and Fuji Oil Group will actively engage in the supply of traceable and sustainable palm oil to contribute to society by working to solve the world's food and health challenges.
The venture aims to establish new standards for transparency, innovation, and quality in the palm oil industry by leveraging Johor Plantations' extensive experience in sustainable palm oil cultivation and Fuji Oil's advanced processing technologies.
Managing Director Mohd Faris Adli Shukery said its collaboration with Fuji Oil, a worldwide leader in food ingredients, underscores its aspiration to become an integrated palm oil player by working with international partners to produce sustainable and responsible essentials for mankind. New Straits Times
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Indonesia-Improving traceability of sustainable palm oil
PALM oil exports were a challenging, high-profile issue for Indonesian diplomats in 2023, particularly concerning European Union (EU)-Indonesia trade deal negotiations and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that have caused unhappiness at the highest levels.
However, the coming year offers an opportunity for Indonesia to turn its impressive track record in decoupling oil palm production from forest clearance into a market-leading global offer on sustainable palm oil, as well as make this part of its growing profile as a global leader.
European and global attitudes to Indonesian palm oil are still shaped by images of burning forests and the resulting smog issue of the last decade, and have not caught up with the government’s impressive performance in dramatically reducing deforestation and largely break its link to oil palm production.
Our estimate, based on Environment and Forestry Ministry data, is that 99% of Indonesian palm oil was deforestation-free by the EUDR’s cutoff date.
The 2022 data indicates that 104,000 ha of forests were lost, but less than half of this was likely palm-related.
Policy frameworks, such as the forest and palm oil concession moratorium and forest and other land use net sink, limit large-scale deforestation driven by oil palm concessions.
This means Indonesia’s palm oil has a low risk of deforestation and should not be subject to further due diligence by the EU market. The StarMY
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Proposal to expand Indonesian palm oil land bank to meet energy demand raises concerns
Demand for palm oil has been steadily rising in Indonesia due to its use in the manufacture of biofuel
JAKARTA - A proposal to expand the acreage of land used for palm oil, in response to growing demand for biodiesel in Indonesia, has raised concerns that this could increase the risk of smog-causing forest and plantation fires.
The far-flung province of Papua, one of the country’s least developed, has been named as one of the possible locations for the new palm oil land bank. The Straits Times
Malaysia's POME exports to EU soar in 2023 on healthy waste feedstocks demand
Malaysia's exports of palm oil mill effluent, or POME, climbed in 2023 from a year ago, fueled by healthy demand for waste-derived feedstocks for biodiesel production in the EU, according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Export shipments of POME swelled 184% on the year to 415,520 mt in 2023, while other key palm products exported to the EU such as crude palm and palm stearin dropped 41.78% and 5.8%, respectively.
These three palm derivatives accounted for 35% of the total Malaysian palm products exported to Europe last year, and demand for POME saw a staggering increase last year compared with 2022, the MPOC noted.
The MPOC attributed the rise in POME exports to robust demand for POME from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium.
"The appetite toward POME is likely to remain strong, given its waste-derived feedstock status... sales to the EU could grow further this year," a Singapore-based trader said. SP Global
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Malaysia-Ensuring traceability in our oil palm industry with SIMS
By Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir
Our oil palm industry which is growing rapidly needs an integrated information communication technology (ICT) system to facilitate the process of managing and monitoring transaction data along the industry chain.
Without such system, access to transactional information throughout the oil palm industry chain is limited, thus, making traceability and effective monitoring difficult.
On the other hand, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) licensees also need a simple, fast and safe method to manage their respective transaction information.
As such, MPOB has developed Sawit Intelligent Management System (SIMS), an integrated system which can facilitate the process of gathering and analysing information along the industry supply chain.
The innovative system tracks and monitors daily transactions of the supply chain of palm oil products from the sale of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) to the final products of the manufacturers and the exporters of palm oil.
This data sharing will only happen when both buyers and sellers agree to share their transaction records. SIMS acts as an information collection system as its centralised data collection is able to support the tracking system. New Straits Times
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Johor Plantations, Japan's Fuji Oil to develop specialty oils & fats refinery
KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Plantations Group Bhd has teamed up with Fuji Oil Asia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the Fuji Oil Group, to develop a specialty oils and fats refinery operating on renewable energy in Osaka, Japan.
The partnership brings together the expertise and commitment of two industry leaders and aligns with both companies' dedication to environmental responsibility and innovation.
Fuji Oil Asia and Fuji Oil Group will actively engage in the supply of traceable and sustainable palm oil to contribute to society by working to solve the world's food and health challenges.
The venture aims to establish new standards for transparency, innovation, and quality in the palm oil industry by leveraging Johor Plantations' extensive experience in sustainable palm oil cultivation and Fuji Oil's advanced processing technologies.
Managing Director Mohd Faris Adli Shukery said its collaboration with Fuji Oil, a worldwide leader in food ingredients, underscores its aspiration to become an integrated palm oil player by working with international partners to produce sustainable and responsible essentials for mankind. New Straits Times
---------
Indonesia-Improving traceability of sustainable palm oil
PALM oil exports were a challenging, high-profile issue for Indonesian diplomats in 2023, particularly concerning European Union (EU)-Indonesia trade deal negotiations and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that have caused unhappiness at the highest levels.
However, the coming year offers an opportunity for Indonesia to turn its impressive track record in decoupling oil palm production from forest clearance into a market-leading global offer on sustainable palm oil, as well as make this part of its growing profile as a global leader.
European and global attitudes to Indonesian palm oil are still shaped by images of burning forests and the resulting smog issue of the last decade, and have not caught up with the government’s impressive performance in dramatically reducing deforestation and largely break its link to oil palm production.
Our estimate, based on Environment and Forestry Ministry data, is that 99% of Indonesian palm oil was deforestation-free by the EUDR’s cutoff date.
The 2022 data indicates that 104,000 ha of forests were lost, but less than half of this was likely palm-related.
Policy frameworks, such as the forest and palm oil concession moratorium and forest and other land use net sink, limit large-scale deforestation driven by oil palm concessions.
This means Indonesia’s palm oil has a low risk of deforestation and should not be subject to further due diligence by the EU market. The StarMY
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Proposal to expand Indonesian palm oil land bank to meet energy demand raises concerns
Demand for palm oil has been steadily rising in Indonesia due to its use in the manufacture of biofuel
JAKARTA - A proposal to expand the acreage of land used for palm oil, in response to growing demand for biodiesel in Indonesia, has raised concerns that this could increase the risk of smog-causing forest and plantation fires.
The far-flung province of Papua, one of the country’s least developed, has been named as one of the possible locations for the new palm oil land bank. The Straits Times
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Jan 24, 2024
Malaysia Palm Oil Harvest Gets Boost From Foreign Worker Move
(Bloomberg) -- Palm oil output in Malaysia, the No. 2 supplier, could rise 5% this year after the government allowed plantations to hire foreign workers, said Joseph Tek, chief executive of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association.
The admission of new workers potentially means that an additional 5.2 million tons of fresh fruit bunches can be harvested, the top growers’ group said in a statement. That translates into 1 million tons of crude palm oil, Tek said.
The extra tonnage would also generate revenue of close to 4 billion ringgit ($845 million), bringing “significant relief” to the industry, which is grappling with a substantial shortage of 40,000 workers, the group said.
The government has been trying to reduce reliance on cheap foreign labor across many industries including manufacturing, construction and plantations, and seeks to regulate admission processes to prevent any issues like forced labor, worker exploitation and human trafficking.
In March last year, the country temporarily suspended the application and approval process for foreign workers under a quota system in order to speed up the entry of workers already approved.
Chronic Shortage Yahoo/Bloomberg
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Malaysia-Entry of foreign workers set to generate RM4 billion revenue: MPOA
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s palm oil industry is set to generate RM4 billion in revenue if half of the indicated 40,000 foreign workers needed by the sector are allocated harvesting duties, said the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA).
In a statement today, the association expressed its gratitude to the Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who shared the pivotal decision emerged from a meeting between Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim on Jan 16, 2024.
The freeze on foreign worker recruitment, in place since March 17, 2023, had posed challenges to various industries, particularly the plantation sector, MPOA said.
Therefore, it appreciated the government’s prompt response to address the critical labour deficit, acknowledging the estimated revenue losses of RM20 billion in 2022 due to the shortage of oil palm harvesters.
This deficit persisted into 2023, resulting in negligible improvement in fresh fruit bunch (FFB) or crude palm oil (CPO) production year-on-year post-COVID-19.
“The admission of 40,000 workers into the plantation sector holds significant economic potential. The SunMY
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Malaysia sets up RM100mil fund for smallholders to replant palm oil
BANGI: The government, through the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture and Commodities Ministry, has established a special fund for the Smallholder Palm Oil Replanting Financing Incentive Scheme (TSPKS 2.0).
Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the scheme, which involves an allocation of RM100 million, will be fully distributed by Agrobank for the replanting of oil palm, specifically benefiting palm oil entrepreneurs and individual smallholders.
Applications are open starting from Jan 15 and the forms can be obtained from any nearby Tunas/Agrobank office in the smallholder's area.
"The provided funds consist of a grant component (50 per cent) and another part is financing (50 per cent) for individual smallholders. New Straits Times
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Oil palm remains the main driver of Malaysia's economic growth
BANGI: Malaysia's oil palm industry is expected to remain the main driver of the country's economic growth in 2024 by contributing significantly to the global oil and fat market, said the Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He said, the outlook for the palm oil market remains optimistic for this year despite struggling with major challenges at home and abroad including labor shortages, uncertain weather conditions, concerns about environmental issues, geopolitical turmoil, and shifting trade policies.
He said, the positive outlook is also driven by the expected strong palm oil demand from major destinations in 2023 such as India (2.8 million tons at a value of RM10.9 billion or 17.4 percent), China (1.5 million tons at a value of RM5.7 billion or 9.1 percent ) and the European Union (1.1 million tons at a value of RM4.6 billion or 7.4 percent).
"The global demand for palm oil will increase along with the increase in the world's population. Considering the limited resources, Malaysia as the second largest palm oil producing country in the world must take this opportunity by increasing productivity and production. BHarian
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Ucayali exports reach a record figure of US$124 million in 2022 led by palm oil
This figure represents a growth of 40 % compared to 2021. Palm oil shipments account for 60 % of total exports.
The increase in exports not only generates income for the region, but also boosts economic activity and creates employment opportunities.”— Juan Manuel Benitez
PUCALLPA, UCAYALI, PERU, January 23, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Ucayali region reached a new export record in 2022 of US$124 million. This achievement was mainly due to palm oil exports, which represented a growth of 40 % compared to 2021, according to the latest Annual Regional Trade Report presented by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur, by its acronym in Spanish)
It is the third consecutive year in which palm oil leads the region's exports, with a total of US$74 million, which represents more than 60 % of total exports and with a growth of 49 % compared to the previous year. Ucayali is currently the leader in oil palm production in the country, reaching 664,000 metric tons of fruit, followed by the San Martín Region.
"This achievement reflects solid economic growth in Ucayali and contributes to Peru's overall economic development. The increase in exports not only generates income for the region, but also boosts economic activity and creates employment opportunities. The production and export of palm oil have probably generated new jobs in the region, improving job prospects for the local population," said Juan Manuel Benites, former Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. EIN News
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The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) Moves Focus to Anti-dumping Case
Brussels, 24 January 2024: After its success in identifying evidence of fraudulent practices and stopping the suspected re-exporting of Indonesian biodiesel through the Port of Hainan in China, the EBB has moved to the next and most significant phase of its plan to combat the huge volumes of biodiesel imports from China that are causing such damage to the European industry. EBB
Malaysia Palm Oil Harvest Gets Boost From Foreign Worker Move
- More overseas labor means extra fruit likely to be gathered
- Decision seen bringing ‘significant relief’ to palm industry
(Bloomberg) -- Palm oil output in Malaysia, the No. 2 supplier, could rise 5% this year after the government allowed plantations to hire foreign workers, said Joseph Tek, chief executive of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association.
The admission of new workers potentially means that an additional 5.2 million tons of fresh fruit bunches can be harvested, the top growers’ group said in a statement. That translates into 1 million tons of crude palm oil, Tek said.
The extra tonnage would also generate revenue of close to 4 billion ringgit ($845 million), bringing “significant relief” to the industry, which is grappling with a substantial shortage of 40,000 workers, the group said.
The government has been trying to reduce reliance on cheap foreign labor across many industries including manufacturing, construction and plantations, and seeks to regulate admission processes to prevent any issues like forced labor, worker exploitation and human trafficking.
In March last year, the country temporarily suspended the application and approval process for foreign workers under a quota system in order to speed up the entry of workers already approved.
Chronic Shortage Yahoo/Bloomberg
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Malaysia-Entry of foreign workers set to generate RM4 billion revenue: MPOA
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s palm oil industry is set to generate RM4 billion in revenue if half of the indicated 40,000 foreign workers needed by the sector are allocated harvesting duties, said the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA).
In a statement today, the association expressed its gratitude to the Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who shared the pivotal decision emerged from a meeting between Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim on Jan 16, 2024.
The freeze on foreign worker recruitment, in place since March 17, 2023, had posed challenges to various industries, particularly the plantation sector, MPOA said.
Therefore, it appreciated the government’s prompt response to address the critical labour deficit, acknowledging the estimated revenue losses of RM20 billion in 2022 due to the shortage of oil palm harvesters.
This deficit persisted into 2023, resulting in negligible improvement in fresh fruit bunch (FFB) or crude palm oil (CPO) production year-on-year post-COVID-19.
“The admission of 40,000 workers into the plantation sector holds significant economic potential. The SunMY
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Malaysia sets up RM100mil fund for smallholders to replant palm oil
BANGI: The government, through the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture and Commodities Ministry, has established a special fund for the Smallholder Palm Oil Replanting Financing Incentive Scheme (TSPKS 2.0).
Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the scheme, which involves an allocation of RM100 million, will be fully distributed by Agrobank for the replanting of oil palm, specifically benefiting palm oil entrepreneurs and individual smallholders.
Applications are open starting from Jan 15 and the forms can be obtained from any nearby Tunas/Agrobank office in the smallholder's area.
"The provided funds consist of a grant component (50 per cent) and another part is financing (50 per cent) for individual smallholders. New Straits Times
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Oil palm remains the main driver of Malaysia's economic growth
BANGI: Malaysia's oil palm industry is expected to remain the main driver of the country's economic growth in 2024 by contributing significantly to the global oil and fat market, said the Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He said, the outlook for the palm oil market remains optimistic for this year despite struggling with major challenges at home and abroad including labor shortages, uncertain weather conditions, concerns about environmental issues, geopolitical turmoil, and shifting trade policies.
He said, the positive outlook is also driven by the expected strong palm oil demand from major destinations in 2023 such as India (2.8 million tons at a value of RM10.9 billion or 17.4 percent), China (1.5 million tons at a value of RM5.7 billion or 9.1 percent ) and the European Union (1.1 million tons at a value of RM4.6 billion or 7.4 percent).
"The global demand for palm oil will increase along with the increase in the world's population. Considering the limited resources, Malaysia as the second largest palm oil producing country in the world must take this opportunity by increasing productivity and production. BHarian
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Ucayali exports reach a record figure of US$124 million in 2022 led by palm oil
This figure represents a growth of 40 % compared to 2021. Palm oil shipments account for 60 % of total exports.
The increase in exports not only generates income for the region, but also boosts economic activity and creates employment opportunities.”— Juan Manuel Benitez
PUCALLPA, UCAYALI, PERU, January 23, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Ucayali region reached a new export record in 2022 of US$124 million. This achievement was mainly due to palm oil exports, which represented a growth of 40 % compared to 2021, according to the latest Annual Regional Trade Report presented by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur, by its acronym in Spanish)
It is the third consecutive year in which palm oil leads the region's exports, with a total of US$74 million, which represents more than 60 % of total exports and with a growth of 49 % compared to the previous year. Ucayali is currently the leader in oil palm production in the country, reaching 664,000 metric tons of fruit, followed by the San Martín Region.
"This achievement reflects solid economic growth in Ucayali and contributes to Peru's overall economic development. The increase in exports not only generates income for the region, but also boosts economic activity and creates employment opportunities. The production and export of palm oil have probably generated new jobs in the region, improving job prospects for the local population," said Juan Manuel Benites, former Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. EIN News
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The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) Moves Focus to Anti-dumping Case
Brussels, 24 January 2024: After its success in identifying evidence of fraudulent practices and stopping the suspected re-exporting of Indonesian biodiesel through the Port of Hainan in China, the EBB has moved to the next and most significant phase of its plan to combat the huge volumes of biodiesel imports from China that are causing such damage to the European industry. EBB
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Jan 23, 2024
Biodiesel Policy Helps Cut Indonesia’s Oil Imports, Gibran Says
Jakarta. Biodiesel policy has helped Indonesia cut its oil imports, according to vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming.
The B35 policy --which increases the palm oil blend in biodiesel to 35 percent-- is in effect in Indonesia. There are also plans to increase the palm oil blend to 40 percent -- a policy better known as B40.
“Thanks to B35 and B40, we were able to slash our oil imports. We could also boost the added value of our palm oil production. [Biodiesel use] also helps us become more environmentally friendly,” Gibran said at Sunday's debate in Jakarta.
According to Gibran, Indonesia must continue to pursue an energy transition towards renewables. “We should not rely on fossil fuel anymore. We shall continue to encourage the use of renewables, particularly those based on vegetable raw materials, such as bioethanol, Bioavtur [aviation fuel], and biodiesel,” Gibran said.
The candidate added that there was a need to find a balance between environmental sustainability and the domestic processing of industries. Jakarta Globe
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Malaysia-Felda, KKDW strategic cooperation, a new dimension to coordinate six focus areas
By Bernama / Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 23): The strategic collaboration between the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) is a new dimension in identifying and coordinating six areas of focus including infrastructure, education and entrepreneurship.
Felda chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said this strategic collaboration also provides opportunities and benefits for Felda to solve many matters jointly with KKDW.
"This is a new dimension when talking about the approach made by the government today. In the past, Felda was considered a separate agency and all Felda matters are referred to the minister, but this time even though Felda is under the Prime Minister's Department, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim directed that many things need to be coordinated between Felda and KKDW.
"For example, if you first build a village road and enter the area near Felda, it will stop there but if these works can be coordinated, we will not leave it alone if Felda does not have the capacity... so KKDW can come in, this kind of cooperation is not only for infrastructure development but also includes education, human capital training and so on," he said. The EdgeMY
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Malaysia-New indicators for Sabah to progress towards sustainable palm oil development
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Jurisdictional Approach for Sustainable Palm Oil (JASPO) Initiative has come up with new indicators for sustainable palm oil development during a workshop at a hotel here recently.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG) had begun collaboratively developing indicators for those measures since February last year.
The workshop was attended by members from Sawit Kinabalu, WWF-Malaysia, Plantation and Commodities Ministry, MalaysianPalm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC), Sabah Forestry Department, and the Sabah JASPO Secretariat.
The system is to objectively measure people, planet and prosperity of Sabah in relation to palm oil. New Straits Times
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Palm oil: RSPO grievance mechanism still failing Indigenous peoples
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has incorporated free, prior and informed consent into its criteria, yet Indigenous peoples still find it hard to pursue complaints
he Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a voluntary initiative that uses certification schemes and standards to promote sustainable palm oil production.
In the last two decades, it has grown to comprise more than 5,700 members in over 100 countries and territories. These including the globe-spanning likes of Unilever, Coca Cola and Shell, as well as smallholder farm groups and NGOs working on the ground. The RSPO-certified planted area has increased from 125,000 hectares in 2008 to 4.9 million hectares today, across 23 nations.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in Jakarta late last November, the RSPO’s CEO Joseph D’Cruz said it has been delivering one of the most significant transformations ever accomplished in a global commodity sector: “This is a story to be proud of and to tell proudly.”
However, Indigenous communities and activists say rights violations and land disputes are still being neglected and not met with justice. China Dialogue
Biodiesel Policy Helps Cut Indonesia’s Oil Imports, Gibran Says
Jakarta. Biodiesel policy has helped Indonesia cut its oil imports, according to vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming.
The B35 policy --which increases the palm oil blend in biodiesel to 35 percent-- is in effect in Indonesia. There are also plans to increase the palm oil blend to 40 percent -- a policy better known as B40.
“Thanks to B35 and B40, we were able to slash our oil imports. We could also boost the added value of our palm oil production. [Biodiesel use] also helps us become more environmentally friendly,” Gibran said at Sunday's debate in Jakarta.
According to Gibran, Indonesia must continue to pursue an energy transition towards renewables. “We should not rely on fossil fuel anymore. We shall continue to encourage the use of renewables, particularly those based on vegetable raw materials, such as bioethanol, Bioavtur [aviation fuel], and biodiesel,” Gibran said.
The candidate added that there was a need to find a balance between environmental sustainability and the domestic processing of industries. Jakarta Globe
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Malaysia-Felda, KKDW strategic cooperation, a new dimension to coordinate six focus areas
By Bernama / Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 23): The strategic collaboration between the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) is a new dimension in identifying and coordinating six areas of focus including infrastructure, education and entrepreneurship.
Felda chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said this strategic collaboration also provides opportunities and benefits for Felda to solve many matters jointly with KKDW.
"This is a new dimension when talking about the approach made by the government today. In the past, Felda was considered a separate agency and all Felda matters are referred to the minister, but this time even though Felda is under the Prime Minister's Department, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim directed that many things need to be coordinated between Felda and KKDW.
"For example, if you first build a village road and enter the area near Felda, it will stop there but if these works can be coordinated, we will not leave it alone if Felda does not have the capacity... so KKDW can come in, this kind of cooperation is not only for infrastructure development but also includes education, human capital training and so on," he said. The EdgeMY
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Malaysia-New indicators for Sabah to progress towards sustainable palm oil development
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Jurisdictional Approach for Sustainable Palm Oil (JASPO) Initiative has come up with new indicators for sustainable palm oil development during a workshop at a hotel here recently.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG) had begun collaboratively developing indicators for those measures since February last year.
The workshop was attended by members from Sawit Kinabalu, WWF-Malaysia, Plantation and Commodities Ministry, MalaysianPalm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC), Sabah Forestry Department, and the Sabah JASPO Secretariat.
The system is to objectively measure people, planet and prosperity of Sabah in relation to palm oil. New Straits Times
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Palm oil: RSPO grievance mechanism still failing Indigenous peoples
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has incorporated free, prior and informed consent into its criteria, yet Indigenous peoples still find it hard to pursue complaints
he Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a voluntary initiative that uses certification schemes and standards to promote sustainable palm oil production.
In the last two decades, it has grown to comprise more than 5,700 members in over 100 countries and territories. These including the globe-spanning likes of Unilever, Coca Cola and Shell, as well as smallholder farm groups and NGOs working on the ground. The RSPO-certified planted area has increased from 125,000 hectares in 2008 to 4.9 million hectares today, across 23 nations.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in Jakarta late last November, the RSPO’s CEO Joseph D’Cruz said it has been delivering one of the most significant transformations ever accomplished in a global commodity sector: “This is a story to be proud of and to tell proudly.”
However, Indigenous communities and activists say rights violations and land disputes are still being neglected and not met with justice. China Dialogue
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Jan 22, 2024
EU-Indonesia Quarrel Over Palm Oil: Quo Vadis?
By: Yuri O. Thamrin
Indonesia is a democratic country, and so is the European Union (EU). According to the “democratic peace” theory, democratic countries should not fight each other, they should help one another.
The EU and Indonesia have long been involved in disputes over palm oil. As fellow democratic countries, they must be able to resolve their disputes justly and effectively.
Palm Oil As a Strategic Commodity
Palm oil is a strategic commodity for Indonesia. it contributes significantly to RI’s economic growth, provides decent jobs for millions of people and is also important for national energy security. The palm oil industry (from upstream to downstream) has a “labor intensive” profile so that it absorbs a large number of workers both directly and indirectly.
The export value of palm oil reached 21 billion dollars (2018) and palm-based biodiesel can strengthen Indonesia’s energy security when the country has now become a “net oil importer.” Palm oil contributes 3.5 percent of Indonesia’s GDP and makes its trade balance positive. Currently there are 19.5 million workers in the palm oil industry and 2.6 million palm oil planters (small holders) in Indonesia.
From the perspective of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), palm oil contributes to (i) job creation; (ii) alleviation of poverty; (iii) reducing income disparities; (iv) achieving national food security and energy security; and (v) reducing the impact of climate change because oil palm trees absorb billions of tons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Who Is The Real Culprit? Sawit Indonesia
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Indonesia-Downstream Palm Oil Research Patents Are Dominated by the United States and the European Union
InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The rapid growth of palm oil plantations has positive implications for Indonesia's CPO production, as well as the volume of Indonesia's CPO exports. According to records from the Ministry of Agriculture, the average growth in the export volume of Indonesian CPO and its derivatives reached 12.3%, with the average growth in the export value of CPO and its derivatives reaching 14.1%.In this way, it is certain that the palm oil sector will have a major contribution in boosting state income. Moreover, since the past, the Export Tax (PE) scheme, which has now been changed to Export Duty (BK), has still been implemented and has become a source of government revenue whose value can reach trillions of rupiah.
Unfortunately, until now Indonesia has not really focused on encouraging innovation in the palm oil industry. So it is natural that the list of palm oil innovation patents is now mostly controlled by countries that are not palm oil producers.
Referring to the World Intellectual Property Rights Organization (WIPO) PatentScope® data base, if searched using the keyword "palm oil" in the patent description, there are 7,459 innovations for the palm oil industry.
However, most of these innovations were mostly developed by the United States at 55%, followed by the Netherlands at 7%, England at around 6% and Switzerland and Germany at 4% and 3% respectively. Info Sawit
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India-Efforts underway to make Kothagudem district in Telangana a hub for palm oil
Sources said that two more units will be set up at Kallurigudem village in Vemsoor mandal and Konijerla mandal.
KHAMMAM: The government is taking steps to make the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district a hub for palm oil cultivation. The horticulture department, in collaboration with the TS Co-Operative Oilseeds Growers Federation Ltd (TS-OILFED), aims to expand palm oil plantations in the district by 20,000 acres this year.
There are two operational oil palm crushing units in the district, one in Aswaraopet and Dammapeta mandals, respectively. Sources said that two more units will be set up at Kallurigudem village in Vemsoor mandal and Konijerla mandal.
The government has been encouraging farmers to shift from crops like chilli and cotton to palm oil cultivation as the land is favourable for cultivating palm oil in the district. New Indian Express
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EU-Indonesia Quarrel Over Palm Oil: Quo Vadis?
By: Yuri O. Thamrin
Indonesia is a democratic country, and so is the European Union (EU). According to the “democratic peace” theory, democratic countries should not fight each other, they should help one another.
The EU and Indonesia have long been involved in disputes over palm oil. As fellow democratic countries, they must be able to resolve their disputes justly and effectively.
Palm Oil As a Strategic Commodity
Palm oil is a strategic commodity for Indonesia. it contributes significantly to RI’s economic growth, provides decent jobs for millions of people and is also important for national energy security. The palm oil industry (from upstream to downstream) has a “labor intensive” profile so that it absorbs a large number of workers both directly and indirectly.
The export value of palm oil reached 21 billion dollars (2018) and palm-based biodiesel can strengthen Indonesia’s energy security when the country has now become a “net oil importer.” Palm oil contributes 3.5 percent of Indonesia’s GDP and makes its trade balance positive. Currently there are 19.5 million workers in the palm oil industry and 2.6 million palm oil planters (small holders) in Indonesia.
From the perspective of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), palm oil contributes to (i) job creation; (ii) alleviation of poverty; (iii) reducing income disparities; (iv) achieving national food security and energy security; and (v) reducing the impact of climate change because oil palm trees absorb billions of tons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Who Is The Real Culprit? Sawit Indonesia
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Indonesia-Downstream Palm Oil Research Patents Are Dominated by the United States and the European Union
InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The rapid growth of palm oil plantations has positive implications for Indonesia's CPO production, as well as the volume of Indonesia's CPO exports. According to records from the Ministry of Agriculture, the average growth in the export volume of Indonesian CPO and its derivatives reached 12.3%, with the average growth in the export value of CPO and its derivatives reaching 14.1%.In this way, it is certain that the palm oil sector will have a major contribution in boosting state income. Moreover, since the past, the Export Tax (PE) scheme, which has now been changed to Export Duty (BK), has still been implemented and has become a source of government revenue whose value can reach trillions of rupiah.
Unfortunately, until now Indonesia has not really focused on encouraging innovation in the palm oil industry. So it is natural that the list of palm oil innovation patents is now mostly controlled by countries that are not palm oil producers.
Referring to the World Intellectual Property Rights Organization (WIPO) PatentScope® data base, if searched using the keyword "palm oil" in the patent description, there are 7,459 innovations for the palm oil industry.
However, most of these innovations were mostly developed by the United States at 55%, followed by the Netherlands at 7%, England at around 6% and Switzerland and Germany at 4% and 3% respectively. Info Sawit
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India-Efforts underway to make Kothagudem district in Telangana a hub for palm oil
Sources said that two more units will be set up at Kallurigudem village in Vemsoor mandal and Konijerla mandal.
KHAMMAM: The government is taking steps to make the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district a hub for palm oil cultivation. The horticulture department, in collaboration with the TS Co-Operative Oilseeds Growers Federation Ltd (TS-OILFED), aims to expand palm oil plantations in the district by 20,000 acres this year.
There are two operational oil palm crushing units in the district, one in Aswaraopet and Dammapeta mandals, respectively. Sources said that two more units will be set up at Kallurigudem village in Vemsoor mandal and Konijerla mandal.
The government has been encouraging farmers to shift from crops like chilli and cotton to palm oil cultivation as the land is favourable for cultivating palm oil in the district. New Indian Express
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Jan 20, 2024
Malaysian palm oil ends at nearly two-month peak on robust China demand
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Thursday to their highest closing in nearly two months, buoyed by robust demand from key buyer China and firmer crude oil prices.
The benchmark palm oil contract for April delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange gained 86 ringgit, or 2.25%, to 3,901 ringgit ($827.18) a metric ton, hitting its highest closing level since Nov. 23.
Good demand from China ahead of the Lunar New Year festive period was seen, but some importers in India opted for soft oils like soya due to disparities in the world’s biggest importer of vegetable oil, said Mitesh Saiya, trading manager at Mumbai-based trading firm Kantilal Laxmichand & Co.
Oil prices rose on Thursday as OPEC forecast relatively strong growth in global oil demand over the next two years, while the market also eyed disrupted US oil production amid a cold blast and tensions in the Middle East.
Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. Dalian’s most-active soyoil contract fell 0.08%, while its palm oil contract ticked up 0.65%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade were up 0.52%. Brerecorder
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India-Budget 2024: Companies Seek Government Intervention To Boost Rural Economy
Industry leaders emphasize the need to introduce measures that would boost consumption in the rural pockets
Ahead of the upcoming Union Budget 2024, companies want the government to come up with proactive measures aimed at future controlling inflation and stimulating consumption in the larger economy with a boost to rural growth. Industry leaders are keen on unlocking infrastructure development, industrial expansion and a greener future.
The FMCG sector is optimistic and looks forward to a market that is less volatile in 2024. Rural demand has been slower than expected as inflation has hit consumption. Companies emphasize the need to introduce measures that would further boost consumption in these areas, "With the higher expectation of the Rabi crop harvest, we anticipate rural demand to pick up. New policies are anticipated that safeguard the interests of oilseed farmers and the oleochemical industry while effectively addressing challenges faced by rural communities. This, in turn, will have a positive ripple effect on industries connected with rural landscapes. The thrust on capital expenditure would be welcomed, as it not only spurs economic growth but also ensures inclusive development," said Anghsu Mallick, MD & CEO, Adani Wilmar.
A level playing field for manufacturers could be achieved by categorizing imports like palm oil, stearic acid, soap noodles, oleic acid and refined glycerin under the restricted-items list or implementing a 25 per cent import duty on finished products as opposed to raw materials. "The suggestion is to grant duty-free import privileges for raw materials to entities equipped with processing facilities. This move is expected to stimulate innovation and boost competitiveness, thus promoting the Make in India movement," he added Entrepreneur
Malaysian palm oil ends at nearly two-month peak on robust China demand
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Thursday to their highest closing in nearly two months, buoyed by robust demand from key buyer China and firmer crude oil prices.
The benchmark palm oil contract for April delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange gained 86 ringgit, or 2.25%, to 3,901 ringgit ($827.18) a metric ton, hitting its highest closing level since Nov. 23.
Good demand from China ahead of the Lunar New Year festive period was seen, but some importers in India opted for soft oils like soya due to disparities in the world’s biggest importer of vegetable oil, said Mitesh Saiya, trading manager at Mumbai-based trading firm Kantilal Laxmichand & Co.
Oil prices rose on Thursday as OPEC forecast relatively strong growth in global oil demand over the next two years, while the market also eyed disrupted US oil production amid a cold blast and tensions in the Middle East.
Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. Dalian’s most-active soyoil contract fell 0.08%, while its palm oil contract ticked up 0.65%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade were up 0.52%. Brerecorder
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India-Budget 2024: Companies Seek Government Intervention To Boost Rural Economy
Industry leaders emphasize the need to introduce measures that would boost consumption in the rural pockets
Ahead of the upcoming Union Budget 2024, companies want the government to come up with proactive measures aimed at future controlling inflation and stimulating consumption in the larger economy with a boost to rural growth. Industry leaders are keen on unlocking infrastructure development, industrial expansion and a greener future.
The FMCG sector is optimistic and looks forward to a market that is less volatile in 2024. Rural demand has been slower than expected as inflation has hit consumption. Companies emphasize the need to introduce measures that would further boost consumption in these areas, "With the higher expectation of the Rabi crop harvest, we anticipate rural demand to pick up. New policies are anticipated that safeguard the interests of oilseed farmers and the oleochemical industry while effectively addressing challenges faced by rural communities. This, in turn, will have a positive ripple effect on industries connected with rural landscapes. The thrust on capital expenditure would be welcomed, as it not only spurs economic growth but also ensures inclusive development," said Anghsu Mallick, MD & CEO, Adani Wilmar.
A level playing field for manufacturers could be achieved by categorizing imports like palm oil, stearic acid, soap noodles, oleic acid and refined glycerin under the restricted-items list or implementing a 25 per cent import duty on finished products as opposed to raw materials. "The suggestion is to grant duty-free import privileges for raw materials to entities equipped with processing facilities. This move is expected to stimulate innovation and boost competitiveness, thus promoting the Make in India movement," he added Entrepreneur
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Jan 19, 2024
African scrambles to comply with new EU due diligence rules
The EU's new due diligence laws designed to address deforestation and human rights abuses in supply chains risk having an uneven effect on African economies and farming, as governments and industry scramble to prepare compliance regimes.
The EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD), agreement on which was finalised by EU ministers and the European Parliament in December, aims to ensure that businesses identify, prevent, and mitigate their adverse impacts on human rights and the environment across their supply chains. That includes guaranteeing that products do not contribute to deforestation. EU Observer
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Growing demand, tight supply drives Asia POME market higher
The Asian palm oil mill effluent market has strengthened since the start of January, and spot prices were gaining support from a pick-up in demand and flood-related supply concerns in Indonesia and Malaysia, trade sources said.
Market participants said that several suppliers of Indonesia and Malaysia POME have refrained from offering bulk cargoes as they were still assessing the aftermath of heavy monsoon rains on POME output, logistics, and a possible hike in collection rates at the mills.
"Output has dropped last month, and yields have been declining also due to the floods," a trader said. Another trader added that logistical challenges caused by floods have slowed the collection of POME at the mills and delayed deliveries.
In Indonesia, December exports shrank following the drop in output. Indonesia's December palm exports fell 16.73% on the month to 2.09 million mt, data from cargo surveyor ITS showed. Crude palm oil exports declined 60.63% on the month to 182,246 mt, ITS reported.
The FOB Malaysia and Indonesia POME price was assessed at $740/mt at the market close Jan. 18, compared with $705-$710/mt a week ago, data by S&P Global Commodity Insights showed.
Asian spot prices have climbed 4%-5% since Platts first began assessing the Asian POME prices of both FOB Malaysia and FOB Indonesia on Jan. 2.
One market source said collection rates at Indonesia's Belawan port in Sumatra have jumped to nearly $700/mt ex-works this week compared with the low $600s/mt seen at the beginning of January.
On the demand side, buying interest has steadily improved from early-January, traders said.
An Indonesian POME bulk cargo was said to have been sold by a regional producer at $730/mt FOB, a level deemed by a few sources as higher than what most participants had initially expected. The deal prompted speculation that the cargo could be destined for Italy and most likely commanded a higher premium than the standard POME cargo owing to INS (Italian National Scheme) certification.
A flurry of spot trades also occurred this week, with at least two bulk Indonesian POME cargoes reportedly changing hands at the $735-$740/mt FOB levels for March loading. Trade sources said that both cargoes were ISCC-certified and thought to be headed for the EU markets.
POME is considered an advanced feedstock under the EU renewable energy directive and counts double toward biodiesel mandates in Europe, making it increasingly sought after by blenders. ENERGY TRANSITION | CARBON | ENERGY SPGLOBAL
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Malaysia-Replanting, consolidation planters’ key focus
PETALING JAYA: Disciplined replanting with higher yielding seeds, mechanisation and more consolidation such as merger and acquisition (M&A) will stay as the plantation industry’s key focus in the years to come, says Maybank Investment Bank (Maybank IB) Research.
The sector will also remain saddled with ongoing issues such as low yield, ageing trees, declining planted area and high unit cost, it noted
According to Maybank IB Research, its plantation stocks “buy” calls are Genting Plantations Bhd, Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd, Ta Ann Holdings Bhd, Bumitama Agri and First Resources Ltd.
In 2023, the crude palm oil (CPO) yield rose slightly year-on-year to 3.14 tonnes per ha on a better fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yield of 15.79 tonnes per ha and higher oil extraction rate (OER) of 19.86%.
The improved yield was mainly due to a better second half of last year as the labour situation gradually improved, said Maybank IB Research in its latest report yesterday. The StarMY
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Nigeria-NEPC moves to relaunch Nigeria as net exporter of palm oil
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the country’s lead agency in the promotion of non-oil export, has said it was working with critical stakeholders in the oil palm industry to return the country to its glorious years as a net exporter of the product.
Nonye Ayeni, the executive director/chief executive officer, NEPC, stated this in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, during a technical session on addressing non-compliance with food safety standards in palm oil production in Abia State, organised by the Abuja headquarters of the council.
Ayeni noted that palm oil, a major agricultural product in Abia State, is an important commodity used globally in a wide range of products and is also regarded as the world’s most popular edible vegetable oil with a global market worth over $45 billion.
The NEPC boss, represented at the forum, by Fred-Ilogben Macpherson, deputy director, the product department of NEPC, explained that Nigeria exported 64.14 metric tonnes of palm oil in 2021, valued at $44,689.30, while in 2022, it exported 350.72 metric tonnes valued at $828, 323.32. He further noted that as of September 2023, the country exported 96.44 metric tonnes of the commodity, valued at $52,724.98. Business DayNG
African scrambles to comply with new EU due diligence rules
The EU's new due diligence laws designed to address deforestation and human rights abuses in supply chains risk having an uneven effect on African economies and farming, as governments and industry scramble to prepare compliance regimes.
The EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD), agreement on which was finalised by EU ministers and the European Parliament in December, aims to ensure that businesses identify, prevent, and mitigate their adverse impacts on human rights and the environment across their supply chains. That includes guaranteeing that products do not contribute to deforestation. EU Observer
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Growing demand, tight supply drives Asia POME market higher
The Asian palm oil mill effluent market has strengthened since the start of January, and spot prices were gaining support from a pick-up in demand and flood-related supply concerns in Indonesia and Malaysia, trade sources said.
Market participants said that several suppliers of Indonesia and Malaysia POME have refrained from offering bulk cargoes as they were still assessing the aftermath of heavy monsoon rains on POME output, logistics, and a possible hike in collection rates at the mills.
"Output has dropped last month, and yields have been declining also due to the floods," a trader said. Another trader added that logistical challenges caused by floods have slowed the collection of POME at the mills and delayed deliveries.
In Indonesia, December exports shrank following the drop in output. Indonesia's December palm exports fell 16.73% on the month to 2.09 million mt, data from cargo surveyor ITS showed. Crude palm oil exports declined 60.63% on the month to 182,246 mt, ITS reported.
The FOB Malaysia and Indonesia POME price was assessed at $740/mt at the market close Jan. 18, compared with $705-$710/mt a week ago, data by S&P Global Commodity Insights showed.
Asian spot prices have climbed 4%-5% since Platts first began assessing the Asian POME prices of both FOB Malaysia and FOB Indonesia on Jan. 2.
One market source said collection rates at Indonesia's Belawan port in Sumatra have jumped to nearly $700/mt ex-works this week compared with the low $600s/mt seen at the beginning of January.
On the demand side, buying interest has steadily improved from early-January, traders said.
An Indonesian POME bulk cargo was said to have been sold by a regional producer at $730/mt FOB, a level deemed by a few sources as higher than what most participants had initially expected. The deal prompted speculation that the cargo could be destined for Italy and most likely commanded a higher premium than the standard POME cargo owing to INS (Italian National Scheme) certification.
A flurry of spot trades also occurred this week, with at least two bulk Indonesian POME cargoes reportedly changing hands at the $735-$740/mt FOB levels for March loading. Trade sources said that both cargoes were ISCC-certified and thought to be headed for the EU markets.
POME is considered an advanced feedstock under the EU renewable energy directive and counts double toward biodiesel mandates in Europe, making it increasingly sought after by blenders. ENERGY TRANSITION | CARBON | ENERGY SPGLOBAL
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Malaysia-Replanting, consolidation planters’ key focus
PETALING JAYA: Disciplined replanting with higher yielding seeds, mechanisation and more consolidation such as merger and acquisition (M&A) will stay as the plantation industry’s key focus in the years to come, says Maybank Investment Bank (Maybank IB) Research.
The sector will also remain saddled with ongoing issues such as low yield, ageing trees, declining planted area and high unit cost, it noted
According to Maybank IB Research, its plantation stocks “buy” calls are Genting Plantations Bhd, Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd, Ta Ann Holdings Bhd, Bumitama Agri and First Resources Ltd.
In 2023, the crude palm oil (CPO) yield rose slightly year-on-year to 3.14 tonnes per ha on a better fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yield of 15.79 tonnes per ha and higher oil extraction rate (OER) of 19.86%.
The improved yield was mainly due to a better second half of last year as the labour situation gradually improved, said Maybank IB Research in its latest report yesterday. The StarMY
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Nigeria-NEPC moves to relaunch Nigeria as net exporter of palm oil
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the country’s lead agency in the promotion of non-oil export, has said it was working with critical stakeholders in the oil palm industry to return the country to its glorious years as a net exporter of the product.
Nonye Ayeni, the executive director/chief executive officer, NEPC, stated this in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, during a technical session on addressing non-compliance with food safety standards in palm oil production in Abia State, organised by the Abuja headquarters of the council.
Ayeni noted that palm oil, a major agricultural product in Abia State, is an important commodity used globally in a wide range of products and is also regarded as the world’s most popular edible vegetable oil with a global market worth over $45 billion.
The NEPC boss, represented at the forum, by Fred-Ilogben Macpherson, deputy director, the product department of NEPC, explained that Nigeria exported 64.14 metric tonnes of palm oil in 2021, valued at $44,689.30, while in 2022, it exported 350.72 metric tonnes valued at $828, 323.32. He further noted that as of September 2023, the country exported 96.44 metric tonnes of the commodity, valued at $52,724.98. Business DayNG
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Jan 18, 2024
EU bans ‘misleading’ environmental claims that rely on offsetting
Products and services billed as climate neutral, biodegradable or eco must provide proof, with carbon schemes banned as evidence
Terms such as “climate neutral” or “climate positive” that rely on offsetting will be banned from the EU by 2026 as part of a crackdown on misleading environmental claims.
On Wednesday, members of the European parliament [MEPs] voted to outlaw the use of terms such as “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without evidence, while introducing a total ban on using carbon offsetting schemes to substantiate the claims.
Under the new directive, only sustainability labels using approved certification schemes will be allowed by the bloc. It comes amid widespread concern about the environmental impact of carbon offsetting schemes, which have often been used to justify labelling products “carbon neutral”, or imply that consumers can fly, buy new clothes or eat certain foods without making the climate crisis worse. The Guardian
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Indonesia presidential candidates promise better palm oil sector governance
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The commodity palm oil will be one of the favorites for presidential and vice presidential candidates to accelerate the rate of economic growth in the future . These efforts are supported by improving governance and legal certainty through the formation of a special council or institution with direct authority over palm oil.
This emerged in a discussion forum entitled "Deliberation with National Palm Oil Stakeholders” organized by Kompas Daily, in Jakarta, Wednesday (17/1/2023). The event was attended by stakeholders, including the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (Gapki), the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (Apkasindo), the Indonesian Palm Oil Council (DMSI), the Producers Association Biofuel Indonesia (Aprobi), the Indonesian Oleochemical Producers Association (Apolin), and the People's Core Company Palm Oil Farmers Association (Aspekpir).
In addition, representatives from the Anies-Muhaimin (Amin) National Winning Team (Timnas) and the Prabowo-Gibran Panji Irawan National Campaign Team (TKN) were also present, along with representatives from Ganjar-Mahfud Danang Girindrawardana's National Campaign Team (TPN). KOMPAS
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Foreign-backed nickel hub in Indonesia causing mass deforestation -report
JAKARTA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Mining activity at a nickel industrial park linked to mainly Chinese companies has contributed to mass deforestation in Indonesia, a non-governmental group said in a report.
The report, opens new tab of ecological damage in the nickel industry comes as Indonesia, home to the world's largest nickel ore reserves, seeks to extract more value from the mineral by attracting investment into its processing and in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries.
The country has also set a production target of some 600,000 electric vehicles (EV) by 2030 - more than 100 times the number of EVs sold in Indonesia in the first half of 2023.
In the report released on Wednesday, U.S.-based Climate Rights International (CRI) documented activity at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP), one of the country's largest nickel processing hubs, whose investors include China's Tsingshan Holding Group and France's Eramet (ERMT.PA)
The operator of the park, on Halmahera island in the Maluku region, is a joint venture between China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Zhenshi Holding Group and Tsingshan.
IWIP, Tsingshan, Eramet, Huayou, Zhenshi and the forestry ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
CRI said companies, which had permits, have cut down more than 5,300 hectares of tropical forest within the park’s concession since 2018, citing geospatial analysis of satellite imagery conducted by the group and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States.
That is roughly the size of over 6,000 soccer pitches.
Experts have raised concerns the nickel industry could worsen deforestation in Indonesia, a resource-rich country that is also home to massive rainforests. Reuters
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Malaysia-Experts back 15-year work permits for skilled palm harvesters
The palm oil industry would greatly welcome the proposal by former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh, says one agricultural economist.
PETALING JAYA: Agriculture experts have welcomed a recent call by former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh for Putrajaya to consider revising the policy for the duration of foreign worker permits from one to 15 years.
Noting that harvesting fresh fruit bunches of oil palm is a skilled task, Glenauk Economics managing director Julian McGill told FMT the palm oil industry would welcome the permit extension.
McGill said retaining these harvesters would benefit planters and improve productivity, in turn supporting the Malaysian economy and its tax revenues.
According to Sabah news portal Daily Express, Harris had written to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urging the government to consider his proposal over the present policy, which requires foreign workers to renew their permits annually. Free Malaysia Today
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MPOC Europe Alert No. 49
17 January 2024
European Parliament adopts the Directive as regards empowering consumers for the green transition
On 17 January 2024, the European Parliament adopted the Directive as regards empowering consumers for the green transition. On 19 September 2023, the European Parliament had reached a provisional agreement with the Council of the EU concerning the European Commission’s Proposal, which had been published on 30 March 2022.
The Directive aims at addressing, inter alia, misleading environmental claims known as ‘greenwashing’ and the European Parliament stated that “the new rules aim to make product labelling clearer and more trustworthy by banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without proof”. Notably, “in the future, only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities will be allowed in the EU”
The Directive still needs to be officially adopted by the Council of the EU before it can enter into force. EU Member States will then have 24 months to transpose the Directive into national law. A separate legislative Proposal on ‘Green Claims’, published by the Commission in March 2023 and currently being discussed at the Committee-level in the European Parliament, foresees to include certain “generic environmental claims” in the list of unfair commercial practices and would further regulate the substantiation of ‘Green Claims’.
Possible actions: The Directive as regards Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition lays the foundations for the ‘Green Claims’ Directive that will “further specify the conditions for making environmental claims” and require the substantiation of any such claims. These new EU rules on generic and unsubstantiated environmental claims could be an important ground to challenge the ‘palm oil-free’ and ‘no palm oil’ claims. Malaysia should support these new Directives and engage with EU Member States’ regulators to ensure that the new rules, once in force, are swiftly implemented and systematically enforced.
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EU bans ‘misleading’ environmental claims that rely on offsetting
Products and services billed as climate neutral, biodegradable or eco must provide proof, with carbon schemes banned as evidence
Terms such as “climate neutral” or “climate positive” that rely on offsetting will be banned from the EU by 2026 as part of a crackdown on misleading environmental claims.
On Wednesday, members of the European parliament [MEPs] voted to outlaw the use of terms such as “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without evidence, while introducing a total ban on using carbon offsetting schemes to substantiate the claims.
Under the new directive, only sustainability labels using approved certification schemes will be allowed by the bloc. It comes amid widespread concern about the environmental impact of carbon offsetting schemes, which have often been used to justify labelling products “carbon neutral”, or imply that consumers can fly, buy new clothes or eat certain foods without making the climate crisis worse. The Guardian
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Indonesia presidential candidates promise better palm oil sector governance
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The commodity palm oil will be one of the favorites for presidential and vice presidential candidates to accelerate the rate of economic growth in the future . These efforts are supported by improving governance and legal certainty through the formation of a special council or institution with direct authority over palm oil.
This emerged in a discussion forum entitled "Deliberation with National Palm Oil Stakeholders” organized by Kompas Daily, in Jakarta, Wednesday (17/1/2023). The event was attended by stakeholders, including the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (Gapki), the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (Apkasindo), the Indonesian Palm Oil Council (DMSI), the Producers Association Biofuel Indonesia (Aprobi), the Indonesian Oleochemical Producers Association (Apolin), and the People's Core Company Palm Oil Farmers Association (Aspekpir).
In addition, representatives from the Anies-Muhaimin (Amin) National Winning Team (Timnas) and the Prabowo-Gibran Panji Irawan National Campaign Team (TKN) were also present, along with representatives from Ganjar-Mahfud Danang Girindrawardana's National Campaign Team (TPN). KOMPAS
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Foreign-backed nickel hub in Indonesia causing mass deforestation -report
JAKARTA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Mining activity at a nickel industrial park linked to mainly Chinese companies has contributed to mass deforestation in Indonesia, a non-governmental group said in a report.
The report, opens new tab of ecological damage in the nickel industry comes as Indonesia, home to the world's largest nickel ore reserves, seeks to extract more value from the mineral by attracting investment into its processing and in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries.
The country has also set a production target of some 600,000 electric vehicles (EV) by 2030 - more than 100 times the number of EVs sold in Indonesia in the first half of 2023.
In the report released on Wednesday, U.S.-based Climate Rights International (CRI) documented activity at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP), one of the country's largest nickel processing hubs, whose investors include China's Tsingshan Holding Group and France's Eramet (ERMT.PA)
The operator of the park, on Halmahera island in the Maluku region, is a joint venture between China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Zhenshi Holding Group and Tsingshan.
IWIP, Tsingshan, Eramet, Huayou, Zhenshi and the forestry ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
CRI said companies, which had permits, have cut down more than 5,300 hectares of tropical forest within the park’s concession since 2018, citing geospatial analysis of satellite imagery conducted by the group and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States.
That is roughly the size of over 6,000 soccer pitches.
Experts have raised concerns the nickel industry could worsen deforestation in Indonesia, a resource-rich country that is also home to massive rainforests. Reuters
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Malaysia-Experts back 15-year work permits for skilled palm harvesters
The palm oil industry would greatly welcome the proposal by former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh, says one agricultural economist.
PETALING JAYA: Agriculture experts have welcomed a recent call by former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh for Putrajaya to consider revising the policy for the duration of foreign worker permits from one to 15 years.
Noting that harvesting fresh fruit bunches of oil palm is a skilled task, Glenauk Economics managing director Julian McGill told FMT the palm oil industry would welcome the permit extension.
McGill said retaining these harvesters would benefit planters and improve productivity, in turn supporting the Malaysian economy and its tax revenues.
According to Sabah news portal Daily Express, Harris had written to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urging the government to consider his proposal over the present policy, which requires foreign workers to renew their permits annually. Free Malaysia Today
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MPOC Europe Alert No. 49
17 January 2024
European Parliament adopts the Directive as regards empowering consumers for the green transition
On 17 January 2024, the European Parliament adopted the Directive as regards empowering consumers for the green transition. On 19 September 2023, the European Parliament had reached a provisional agreement with the Council of the EU concerning the European Commission’s Proposal, which had been published on 30 March 2022.
The Directive aims at addressing, inter alia, misleading environmental claims known as ‘greenwashing’ and the European Parliament stated that “the new rules aim to make product labelling clearer and more trustworthy by banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without proof”. Notably, “in the future, only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities will be allowed in the EU”
The Directive still needs to be officially adopted by the Council of the EU before it can enter into force. EU Member States will then have 24 months to transpose the Directive into national law. A separate legislative Proposal on ‘Green Claims’, published by the Commission in March 2023 and currently being discussed at the Committee-level in the European Parliament, foresees to include certain “generic environmental claims” in the list of unfair commercial practices and would further regulate the substantiation of ‘Green Claims’.
Possible actions: The Directive as regards Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition lays the foundations for the ‘Green Claims’ Directive that will “further specify the conditions for making environmental claims” and require the substantiation of any such claims. These new EU rules on generic and unsubstantiated environmental claims could be an important ground to challenge the ‘palm oil-free’ and ‘no palm oil’ claims. Malaysia should support these new Directives and engage with EU Member States’ regulators to ensure that the new rules, once in force, are swiftly implemented and systematically enforced.
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Jan 17, 2024
Indonesia's Presidential Chief of Staff welcomes EU ambassador to discuss IEU-CEPA negotiations
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Moeldoko, received a visit from the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Denis Chaibi, at the Bina Graha Building in Jakarta on Wednesday.
On this occasion, Moeldoko encouraged the completion of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) negotiations that had been ongoing for eight years as well as downstream policies in Indonesia.
"We hope that the IEU-CEPA negotiations can find common ground soon and accommodate mutual interests. Indonesia is fully committed to this agreement," he noted in a statement issued by his office on Wednesday.
According to Moeldoko, the EU is Indonesia's strategic partner in various sectors, especially in the economic sector, where the EU is the fifth main export destination for Indonesian products, with a value reaching US$21.5 billion. Antara News
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ISPO Certified Palm Oil Land Reaches 4.09 Million Ha, Involving 816 Palm Oil Players Including Farmers
InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The Indonesian government continues to encourage the acceleration of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification to ensure that all palm oil plantations in this country are managed sustainably. The latest data as of December 6 2023, reveals that a total of 4.09 million hectares of oil palm land in Indonesia has met ISPO certification requirements, with Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) production reaching 42.59 million tons per year.
Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food and Agribusiness Coordination, Dida Gardera, revealed that as many as 816 actors in the palm oil sector had succeeded in obtaining ISPO certificates. Of this number, 107 certificates were given to farmers, who manage 426,183 hectares of land. Meanwhile, 712 other certificates were given to palm oil players, who control oil palm plantations with a total area of 3.67 million hectares and produce 39.21 million tons of FFB per year.
Even though this achievement shows positive progress, Dida Gardera admits that the implementation of ISPO still faces various challenges. One of the main challenges is the low realization of ISPO certification for smallholder oil palm growers. The ISPO financing assistance policy is also still limited and only covers the initial ISPO certification costs. This creates obstacles for small growers who may have difficulty financing the certification process. Info Sawit
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Liberia: Extractive Sector Raised US$182M
The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) has released its 15th report, which highlights the significant contribution of the extractive sector to Liberia’s domestic revenue. According to the report, the extractive sector accounted for 17.16 percent of the government’s revenue envelope in the last fiscal year, amounting to US$182.35 million.
The top contributors to the government’s revenue during this period were ArcelorMittal Liberia Limited, Bea Mountain Mining Company, and Firestone Liberia Incorporated. These companies contributed a combined total of US$132 million, with ArcelorMittal leading the way with $78 million.
The report also sheds light on the social and environmental expenditures of extractive companies, which totaled US$34 million. Mandatory social spending accounted for US$28 million, while voluntary social expenditure amounted to US$5 million. Moreover, both mandatory and voluntary environmental expenses stood at US$1 million each.
LEITI, established in 2009, has played a crucial role in providing transparency and promoting the responsible management of Liberia’s natural resources and the revenues derived from them.
The Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) of the LEITI in March 2023 commissioned the production of the 15th EITI Report for Liberia, covering the fiscal period from July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, under the traditional reconciliation framework. The 15th Report is the first reconciled report post-Covid. The Report captures 21 in-scope companies across three of the four covered sectors and ten government institutions. Liberian Observer
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Malaysia-TDM expands healthcare network, invests RM29.1 mil for two new hospitals
KUALA TERENGGANU (Jan 17): Plantation and healthcare outfit TDM Bhd, a subsidiary of the Terengganu state government, has invested RM29.1 million to build two hospitals this year.
Its executive director Najman Kamaruddin said the group’s healthcare sector contributes more than 50% to the overall profits and the two new hospitals are expected to increase the profits considerably.
“An investment of RM14.1 million is allocated for the construction of the 100-bed KMI Chukai Medical Centre in Kemaman, while Razif Hospital in Klang, Selangor involves an investment of RM15 million for the takeover process.
“Both of these hospitals will be managed by TDM’s subsidiary Kumpulan Medic Iman Sdn Bhd (KMI Healthcare),” he said during a press conference after presenting RM2.9 million to the Terengganu State Heritage Trust Fund Board, which is part of the company’s joint venture profit agreement for 2023, at Wisma Darul Iman here on Wednesday.
Najman also said the group plans to expand its medical network on the East Coast in the next five years, as an effort to meet the increasing demand for the health services offered by TDM.
The Edge Malaysia
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Global certifier ISCC: ‘Decimal point errors’ behind biofuel discrepancies in Italy, Malta
Global certification body the ISCC has revised down the extremely high quantities of used cooking oil reportedly collected in Italy and Malta for biofuels production in 2022, saying that the original figures were the result of accounting errors in the submitted data.
According to the data released last month by DG ENER, the European Commission directorate responsible for energy policy, some 604,040 metric tonnes of oils used to fry food were collected in Italy in 2022, with 520,000 tonnes collected in Malta alone.
The original collection figures would have put Italy and Malta among the top three used cooking oil (UCO) suppliers in the world, raising suspicions as to the authenticity of the feedstocks.
UCO can be refined to produce second-generation biofuels, a greener alternative to fossil fuels. Such biofuels are increasingly sought in Europe to decarbonise the oil-reliant transport sector, as the EU pushes to reach carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.
Under EU rules, biofuels from waste sources can also be double counted towards national transport renewable energy targets, making the feedstock highly valuable. Euractiv
Indonesia's Presidential Chief of Staff welcomes EU ambassador to discuss IEU-CEPA negotiations
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Moeldoko, received a visit from the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Denis Chaibi, at the Bina Graha Building in Jakarta on Wednesday.
On this occasion, Moeldoko encouraged the completion of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) negotiations that had been ongoing for eight years as well as downstream policies in Indonesia.
"We hope that the IEU-CEPA negotiations can find common ground soon and accommodate mutual interests. Indonesia is fully committed to this agreement," he noted in a statement issued by his office on Wednesday.
According to Moeldoko, the EU is Indonesia's strategic partner in various sectors, especially in the economic sector, where the EU is the fifth main export destination for Indonesian products, with a value reaching US$21.5 billion. Antara News
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ISPO Certified Palm Oil Land Reaches 4.09 Million Ha, Involving 816 Palm Oil Players Including Farmers
InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The Indonesian government continues to encourage the acceleration of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification to ensure that all palm oil plantations in this country are managed sustainably. The latest data as of December 6 2023, reveals that a total of 4.09 million hectares of oil palm land in Indonesia has met ISPO certification requirements, with Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) production reaching 42.59 million tons per year.
Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food and Agribusiness Coordination, Dida Gardera, revealed that as many as 816 actors in the palm oil sector had succeeded in obtaining ISPO certificates. Of this number, 107 certificates were given to farmers, who manage 426,183 hectares of land. Meanwhile, 712 other certificates were given to palm oil players, who control oil palm plantations with a total area of 3.67 million hectares and produce 39.21 million tons of FFB per year.
Even though this achievement shows positive progress, Dida Gardera admits that the implementation of ISPO still faces various challenges. One of the main challenges is the low realization of ISPO certification for smallholder oil palm growers. The ISPO financing assistance policy is also still limited and only covers the initial ISPO certification costs. This creates obstacles for small growers who may have difficulty financing the certification process. Info Sawit
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Liberia: Extractive Sector Raised US$182M
The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) has released its 15th report, which highlights the significant contribution of the extractive sector to Liberia’s domestic revenue. According to the report, the extractive sector accounted for 17.16 percent of the government’s revenue envelope in the last fiscal year, amounting to US$182.35 million.
The top contributors to the government’s revenue during this period were ArcelorMittal Liberia Limited, Bea Mountain Mining Company, and Firestone Liberia Incorporated. These companies contributed a combined total of US$132 million, with ArcelorMittal leading the way with $78 million.
The report also sheds light on the social and environmental expenditures of extractive companies, which totaled US$34 million. Mandatory social spending accounted for US$28 million, while voluntary social expenditure amounted to US$5 million. Moreover, both mandatory and voluntary environmental expenses stood at US$1 million each.
LEITI, established in 2009, has played a crucial role in providing transparency and promoting the responsible management of Liberia’s natural resources and the revenues derived from them.
The Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) of the LEITI in March 2023 commissioned the production of the 15th EITI Report for Liberia, covering the fiscal period from July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, under the traditional reconciliation framework. The 15th Report is the first reconciled report post-Covid. The Report captures 21 in-scope companies across three of the four covered sectors and ten government institutions. Liberian Observer
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Malaysia-TDM expands healthcare network, invests RM29.1 mil for two new hospitals
KUALA TERENGGANU (Jan 17): Plantation and healthcare outfit TDM Bhd, a subsidiary of the Terengganu state government, has invested RM29.1 million to build two hospitals this year.
Its executive director Najman Kamaruddin said the group’s healthcare sector contributes more than 50% to the overall profits and the two new hospitals are expected to increase the profits considerably.
“An investment of RM14.1 million is allocated for the construction of the 100-bed KMI Chukai Medical Centre in Kemaman, while Razif Hospital in Klang, Selangor involves an investment of RM15 million for the takeover process.
“Both of these hospitals will be managed by TDM’s subsidiary Kumpulan Medic Iman Sdn Bhd (KMI Healthcare),” he said during a press conference after presenting RM2.9 million to the Terengganu State Heritage Trust Fund Board, which is part of the company’s joint venture profit agreement for 2023, at Wisma Darul Iman here on Wednesday.
Najman also said the group plans to expand its medical network on the East Coast in the next five years, as an effort to meet the increasing demand for the health services offered by TDM.
The Edge Malaysia
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Global certifier ISCC: ‘Decimal point errors’ behind biofuel discrepancies in Italy, Malta
Global certification body the ISCC has revised down the extremely high quantities of used cooking oil reportedly collected in Italy and Malta for biofuels production in 2022, saying that the original figures were the result of accounting errors in the submitted data.
According to the data released last month by DG ENER, the European Commission directorate responsible for energy policy, some 604,040 metric tonnes of oils used to fry food were collected in Italy in 2022, with 520,000 tonnes collected in Malta alone.
The original collection figures would have put Italy and Malta among the top three used cooking oil (UCO) suppliers in the world, raising suspicions as to the authenticity of the feedstocks.
UCO can be refined to produce second-generation biofuels, a greener alternative to fossil fuels. Such biofuels are increasingly sought in Europe to decarbonise the oil-reliant transport sector, as the EU pushes to reach carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.
Under EU rules, biofuels from waste sources can also be double counted towards national transport renewable energy targets, making the feedstock highly valuable. Euractiv
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Jan 16, 2024
India to allow edible oil imports at lower duty until March 2025
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, Jan 16 (Reuters) - India will extend edible oil imports at a lower duty by another year until March 2025, the government said in a notification issued late on Monday, as the world's biggest vegetable oil importer moves to contain local prices.
The lower import duty structure on crude palm oil, crude sunflower oil and crude soyoil was set to expire in March 2024.
"The decision was expected as the government is keen to keep prices in check ahead of elections," said Sandeep Bajoria, CEO of Sunvin Group, a vegetable oil brokerage.
India's annual retail inflation rose at the fastest pace in four months in December, driven by a rise in prices of some food items.
To bring down prices, the government banned wheat exports in 2022 and prohibited overseas shipments of non-basmati white rice last year. New Delhi has also halted mills from exporting sugar this year.
India would continue with its export curbs on wheat, rice and sugar for now, trade minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. Reuters
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Indonesia's presidential candidate Prabowo wants farmers to prosper, like in Germany
Drawing on his own observations during a visit to Germany, Prabowo told a Kadin dialogue about the food estate program's importance in achieving food security, as well as his vision to enrich local farmers and elevate their welfare toward farmer regeneration.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has pointed to the significance of the food estate program in improving food security, saying it serves as a strategic solution to address persistent challenges in the food and agriculture sectors.
"I've been talking [about it] for years, I have printed all digital records on how many years we have to [develop] a large food estate," Prabowo said on Friday at a dialogue hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). He added that the decision to set up a food estate derived from the food barn program introduced in the 1970s by Ibnu Sutowo. Ibnu was an army general and former oil and gas minister who headed the precursor to Pertamina, building the fledgling company into a state-owned gas company of international renown, according to his profile by Kompas.com. In 1974, however, then-president Soeharto launched a probe into internal corruption at Pertamina that nearly bankrupted the country, and while Ibnu became embroiled in the investigation and was eventually fired as its first president director, he was never convicted.
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/01/15/prabowo-wants-farmers-to-prosper-like-in-germany.html.
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Wilmar Unit Denies Involvement in Alleged China Palm Oil Fraud
Yihai Kerry rejects prosecutor allegations on role in trades
Company says transactions compliant with normal practice
A Chinese subsidiary of Asian food giant Wilmar International Ltd. has denied allegations by a city prosecution agency that one of its units was partially accountable for a trade fraud that led to a 5.2 billion yuan ($725 million) loss for a state-owned company.
Wilmar’s Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Co. said in an exchange filing Friday that one of its units had been sued in the eastern province of Anhui over its alleged role in loss-making palm oil trades between a state-owned trader and a privately owned counterparty. The company, one of China’s top food processors, said it wasn’t involved in the fraud. Bloomberg
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Malaysia-In Sarawak, Dayak oil palm planters say willing to pay for NCR land surveys to speed up process
MIRI, Jan 16 — Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa) members say they are willing to pay for Native Customary Rights (NCR) land surveys to expedite the state government’s efforts and enable the early issuance of perpetuity land titles.
In a statement, Doppa president Napoleon R Ningkos said the association is willing to help enable the expeditious surveying of their NCR land.
He proposed the Land and Survey Department allow government-registered private land surveyors to survey verified NCR land planted with oil palm or other cash crops.
“The costs and expenses of engaging these private registered land surveyors will be borne by the Doppa members,” he said.
India to allow edible oil imports at lower duty until March 2025
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, Jan 16 (Reuters) - India will extend edible oil imports at a lower duty by another year until March 2025, the government said in a notification issued late on Monday, as the world's biggest vegetable oil importer moves to contain local prices.
The lower import duty structure on crude palm oil, crude sunflower oil and crude soyoil was set to expire in March 2024.
"The decision was expected as the government is keen to keep prices in check ahead of elections," said Sandeep Bajoria, CEO of Sunvin Group, a vegetable oil brokerage.
India's annual retail inflation rose at the fastest pace in four months in December, driven by a rise in prices of some food items.
To bring down prices, the government banned wheat exports in 2022 and prohibited overseas shipments of non-basmati white rice last year. New Delhi has also halted mills from exporting sugar this year.
India would continue with its export curbs on wheat, rice and sugar for now, trade minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. Reuters
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Indonesia's presidential candidate Prabowo wants farmers to prosper, like in Germany
Drawing on his own observations during a visit to Germany, Prabowo told a Kadin dialogue about the food estate program's importance in achieving food security, as well as his vision to enrich local farmers and elevate their welfare toward farmer regeneration.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has pointed to the significance of the food estate program in improving food security, saying it serves as a strategic solution to address persistent challenges in the food and agriculture sectors.
"I've been talking [about it] for years, I have printed all digital records on how many years we have to [develop] a large food estate," Prabowo said on Friday at a dialogue hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). He added that the decision to set up a food estate derived from the food barn program introduced in the 1970s by Ibnu Sutowo. Ibnu was an army general and former oil and gas minister who headed the precursor to Pertamina, building the fledgling company into a state-owned gas company of international renown, according to his profile by Kompas.com. In 1974, however, then-president Soeharto launched a probe into internal corruption at Pertamina that nearly bankrupted the country, and while Ibnu became embroiled in the investigation and was eventually fired as its first president director, he was never convicted.
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/01/15/prabowo-wants-farmers-to-prosper-like-in-germany.html.
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Wilmar Unit Denies Involvement in Alleged China Palm Oil Fraud
Yihai Kerry rejects prosecutor allegations on role in trades
Company says transactions compliant with normal practice
A Chinese subsidiary of Asian food giant Wilmar International Ltd. has denied allegations by a city prosecution agency that one of its units was partially accountable for a trade fraud that led to a 5.2 billion yuan ($725 million) loss for a state-owned company.
Wilmar’s Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Co. said in an exchange filing Friday that one of its units had been sued in the eastern province of Anhui over its alleged role in loss-making palm oil trades between a state-owned trader and a privately owned counterparty. The company, one of China’s top food processors, said it wasn’t involved in the fraud. Bloomberg
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Malaysia-In Sarawak, Dayak oil palm planters say willing to pay for NCR land surveys to speed up process
MIRI, Jan 16 — Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa) members say they are willing to pay for Native Customary Rights (NCR) land surveys to expedite the state government’s efforts and enable the early issuance of perpetuity land titles.
In a statement, Doppa president Napoleon R Ningkos said the association is willing to help enable the expeditious surveying of their NCR land.
He proposed the Land and Survey Department allow government-registered private land surveyors to survey verified NCR land planted with oil palm or other cash crops.
“The costs and expenses of engaging these private registered land surveyors will be borne by the Doppa members,” he said.
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Jan 15, 2024
China's UCOME prices reach 17-month low on policy uncertainty, EU scrutiny
Chinese UCOME prices plummeted to 17-month lows, as the lack of clarity on government policies, surging freight costs and the ongoing EU investigations into biodiesel fraud and antidumping issues weighed on sentiment.
Platts assessed UCOME FOB China at $955/mt Jan. 12, down 42.12% from $1,650/mt on Aug. 15, 2022, S&P Global Commodity Insights data showed. Platts began assessing UCOME FOB China prices on Aug. 1, 2022.
Chinese UCOME buyers have been exercising caution amid investigations by the European Commission, resulting in sharply lower biodiesel demand in the EU.
In June 2023, the EC began a probe following a complaint by a member state regarding potential fraud associated with biodiesel imports from China. Subsequently, in December 2023, the EU initiated an antidumping investigation into biodiesel imports from China.
If dumping and harm to EU producers are confirmed, the EC may impose import duties to address the impact of unfair trading. The EC stated that the provisional measures could be implemented within eight months, and the investigation is expected to conclude within 14 months.
"Despite the EU investigation on antidumping probes, there were still buyer inquiries every day. However, the case caused some buyers to hesitate and hold back on their purchase," a Chinese producer said.
"Our production is currently running at one-third capacity after the EU investigation on antidumping probes as it hurts our export volume," he added. SPGlobal
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Global biofuel acreage amounted to 6% of total area farmed
According to investigations by Agrarmarkt-Informations-Gesellschaft the total area planted with cereals, oilseeds and protein, sugar and fibre crops, fruit, vegetables and nuts was 1.2 billion hectares in 2022.
The largest share was used directly or indirectly, via livestock feeds, for human nutrition. Only around 6% of the area was used to produce biofuels.
Biofuel production was located in places where there is a surplus of feedstock - mainly maize, palm oil and soybean oil.
If the option of using the surplus to produce biofuels did not exist, it would have to be placed on the global market, where it would weigh heavily on feedstock costs.
The conversion of agricultural feedstock to biofuels reduces the production overhang, generates extra value added and reduces the need for foreign currency for imports of crude oil or fossil fuels. The latter is primarily a problem in poorer countries.
Another advantage of biofuel production is that it also yields high-quality protein feedstuffs, which are in high demand.
The share and quality of these protein feeds have a strong influence on commodity prices and consequently on the size of the area planted.
This applies especially to soybeans. Biofuels are by no means the price drivers in the commodities markets.
In an emergency situation, the feedstocks required in biofuel production will be available for food supply (for example, rapeseed/sunflowerseed oil during the Ukraine crisis).
If arable farming were to be intensified for political reasons – an aim the EU Commission is pursuing with the reduction strategy for fertilisers and plant protection products under the Green Deal – this option of "buffering" food demand would no longer be available. Biofuels International
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Largest in the World, Chairman of GAPKI: Indonesian Palm Oil Consumption Reaches 25 Million TonsKarachi, SAWIT INDONESIA – The Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) is carrying out a positive campaign and strengthening palm oil trade cooperation through the Pakistan Edible Oil Conference in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday (14 January 2024). Every year, this conference becomes an important forum and must be attended because the country with the capital Karachi is one of the five main buyers of palm oil.
In this conference, GAPKI General Chair Eddy Martono delivered an update on the development of the palm oil industry in Indonesia from the aspects of production, consumption and export. In terms of production, the low growth in palm oil production this year will affect supply on the global market.
According to Eddy, the highest production increase will only reach no more than 5%. "If the B35 mandate is extended, Indonesia's domestic demand could reach 25 million tonnes. "Thus, palm oil exports in 2024 will decrease by 4.13% or only around 29 million tons," explained Eddy.
Eddy said that domestic consumption had continued to increase in the last five years with the 35% mandatory biofuel program. Meanwhile, consumption of oleochemical products has grown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, consumption of food/cooking oil has also been relatively stable in the last three years except in 2022 where consumption of cooking oil increased due to scarcity on the market at the beginning of the year. Sawit Indonesia
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Pakistan-Cut in import bill: Need for promoting cultivation of palm oil plants stressed
KARACHI: Pakistan has become the third largest edible oil importer in the world after China and India as the per capita local consumption in Pakistan is 20kg which is much higher than other regional countries.
These views were expressed by Rasheed Janmohammed, a leading edible oil importer and CEO of Pakistan Edible Oil Conference while speaking at inaugural session of the two day event held at local hotel.
It is the sixth edition of PEOC, which is being organised with support of Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), Pakistan Soap Manufacturers Association (PSMA), Pakistan Edible Oil Refiner Association (PEORA), All Pakistan Solvent Extractors’ Association (APSEA), Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC). BRecorder
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Malaysia-RM100m oil palm replanting incentive distribution one of Plantation Ministry’s key projects
TAWAU, Jan 14 — Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that the RM100 million set aside by the federal government under Budget 2024 as replanting incentives will be in the form of “one-to-one” matching grants through TSPKS 2.0 for qualified smallholders.
“The distribution of this replanting incentive will be one of my ministry’s key projects this year, with the ultimate aim of accelerating the replanting of oil palm plantations that are more than 23 years old and ensuring the continued and sustainable development of Malaysia’s palm oil industry,” he said.
Chan, who is also Member of Parliament for Kota Kinabalu, said this during a dinner organized by the Tawau Chinese Chamber of Commerce on Saturday night. Malay Mail
China's UCOME prices reach 17-month low on policy uncertainty, EU scrutiny
Chinese UCOME prices plummeted to 17-month lows, as the lack of clarity on government policies, surging freight costs and the ongoing EU investigations into biodiesel fraud and antidumping issues weighed on sentiment.
Platts assessed UCOME FOB China at $955/mt Jan. 12, down 42.12% from $1,650/mt on Aug. 15, 2022, S&P Global Commodity Insights data showed. Platts began assessing UCOME FOB China prices on Aug. 1, 2022.
Chinese UCOME buyers have been exercising caution amid investigations by the European Commission, resulting in sharply lower biodiesel demand in the EU.
In June 2023, the EC began a probe following a complaint by a member state regarding potential fraud associated with biodiesel imports from China. Subsequently, in December 2023, the EU initiated an antidumping investigation into biodiesel imports from China.
If dumping and harm to EU producers are confirmed, the EC may impose import duties to address the impact of unfair trading. The EC stated that the provisional measures could be implemented within eight months, and the investigation is expected to conclude within 14 months.
"Despite the EU investigation on antidumping probes, there were still buyer inquiries every day. However, the case caused some buyers to hesitate and hold back on their purchase," a Chinese producer said.
"Our production is currently running at one-third capacity after the EU investigation on antidumping probes as it hurts our export volume," he added. SPGlobal
---------
Global biofuel acreage amounted to 6% of total area farmed
According to investigations by Agrarmarkt-Informations-Gesellschaft the total area planted with cereals, oilseeds and protein, sugar and fibre crops, fruit, vegetables and nuts was 1.2 billion hectares in 2022.
The largest share was used directly or indirectly, via livestock feeds, for human nutrition. Only around 6% of the area was used to produce biofuels.
Biofuel production was located in places where there is a surplus of feedstock - mainly maize, palm oil and soybean oil.
If the option of using the surplus to produce biofuels did not exist, it would have to be placed on the global market, where it would weigh heavily on feedstock costs.
The conversion of agricultural feedstock to biofuels reduces the production overhang, generates extra value added and reduces the need for foreign currency for imports of crude oil or fossil fuels. The latter is primarily a problem in poorer countries.
Another advantage of biofuel production is that it also yields high-quality protein feedstuffs, which are in high demand.
The share and quality of these protein feeds have a strong influence on commodity prices and consequently on the size of the area planted.
This applies especially to soybeans. Biofuels are by no means the price drivers in the commodities markets.
In an emergency situation, the feedstocks required in biofuel production will be available for food supply (for example, rapeseed/sunflowerseed oil during the Ukraine crisis).
If arable farming were to be intensified for political reasons – an aim the EU Commission is pursuing with the reduction strategy for fertilisers and plant protection products under the Green Deal – this option of "buffering" food demand would no longer be available. Biofuels International
---------
Largest in the World, Chairman of GAPKI: Indonesian Palm Oil Consumption Reaches 25 Million TonsKarachi, SAWIT INDONESIA – The Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) is carrying out a positive campaign and strengthening palm oil trade cooperation through the Pakistan Edible Oil Conference in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday (14 January 2024). Every year, this conference becomes an important forum and must be attended because the country with the capital Karachi is one of the five main buyers of palm oil.
In this conference, GAPKI General Chair Eddy Martono delivered an update on the development of the palm oil industry in Indonesia from the aspects of production, consumption and export. In terms of production, the low growth in palm oil production this year will affect supply on the global market.
According to Eddy, the highest production increase will only reach no more than 5%. "If the B35 mandate is extended, Indonesia's domestic demand could reach 25 million tonnes. "Thus, palm oil exports in 2024 will decrease by 4.13% or only around 29 million tons," explained Eddy.
Eddy said that domestic consumption had continued to increase in the last five years with the 35% mandatory biofuel program. Meanwhile, consumption of oleochemical products has grown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, consumption of food/cooking oil has also been relatively stable in the last three years except in 2022 where consumption of cooking oil increased due to scarcity on the market at the beginning of the year. Sawit Indonesia
---------
Pakistan-Cut in import bill: Need for promoting cultivation of palm oil plants stressed
KARACHI: Pakistan has become the third largest edible oil importer in the world after China and India as the per capita local consumption in Pakistan is 20kg which is much higher than other regional countries.
These views were expressed by Rasheed Janmohammed, a leading edible oil importer and CEO of Pakistan Edible Oil Conference while speaking at inaugural session of the two day event held at local hotel.
It is the sixth edition of PEOC, which is being organised with support of Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), Pakistan Soap Manufacturers Association (PSMA), Pakistan Edible Oil Refiner Association (PEORA), All Pakistan Solvent Extractors’ Association (APSEA), Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC). BRecorder
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Malaysia-RM100m oil palm replanting incentive distribution one of Plantation Ministry’s key projects
TAWAU, Jan 14 — Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that the RM100 million set aside by the federal government under Budget 2024 as replanting incentives will be in the form of “one-to-one” matching grants through TSPKS 2.0 for qualified smallholders.
“The distribution of this replanting incentive will be one of my ministry’s key projects this year, with the ultimate aim of accelerating the replanting of oil palm plantations that are more than 23 years old and ensuring the continued and sustainable development of Malaysia’s palm oil industry,” he said.
Chan, who is also Member of Parliament for Kota Kinabalu, said this during a dinner organized by the Tawau Chinese Chamber of Commerce on Saturday night. Malay Mail
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Jan 12, 2024
Malaysia-80 per cent of Sabah palm oil plantations achieve MSPO certification
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah palm industry aims to achieve full Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification .
Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that Sabah is the second-largest palm oil-producing state in Malaysia.
"Sabah significantly contributes to the state's revenue through the collection of State Sales Tax (CJN) on crude palm oil.
As of December 31, 2023, the total area of oil palm plantations in Sabah is 1.63 million hectares, with a total of 33,074 estates and smallholders.
Among them, the Sandakan District has the largest area and is also the major contributor to the exported palm oil production, totaling 2.11 million metric tons until December 2023," he said in a statement.
To date, 80 percent of Sabah palm oil plantations have achieved MSPO Certification in Sabah.
"However, this rate is still slightly behind the overall MSPO rate in Malaysia, which is 92.42 per cent.
"I hope that with the excellent cooperation between the Ministry and MPOB Sabah Region, the palm oil industry in Sabah will achieve full MSPO certification status, ensuring the reputation of Malaysian palm oil products on the world stage." NST
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Deputy minister wants 100% sustainable palm oil certification by MSPO in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Some 80% of palm oil businesses in Sabah have obtained Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, said Datuk Chan Foong Hin.
The Plantation and Commodities Deputy Minister however said that this was still below the nationwide rate, which currently stands at 92.42%.
“I hope with good cooperation between the ministry and the Sabah Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), the palm oil industry in the state can achieve full MSPO certification status to ensure the good reputation of Malaysia-made palm oil products on the international stage,” he said.
Chan said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Jan 11) that he had paid a working visit to the Sabah MPOB office last Friday (Jan 5) and was briefed on the latest situation in the palm oil industry in the state. The StarMY
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Malaysia must continue to position itself as global leader in sustainability, says Malaysian Minister Johari
KUALA LUMPUR: Crude palm oil (CPO) prices are expected to stabilise between RM3,900 and RM4,200 per tonne this year, backed by some 18.75 million tonnes of palm oil production amid improving labour conditions, industry executives said.
Challenges, however, remain as planters seek to comply with European and US regulations targeting links to deforestation and forced labour in the commodity's supply chain, they added.
The sector relies on foreign workers for 70 per cent of its plantation workforce, and it had seen a severe labour crunch in recent years, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said Malaysia must continue to position its palm oil industry as a global leader in sustainability.
MSPO certification programmes were intensified with continuous support from the Ministry, related agencies and various parties to ensure full adoption of sustainability requirements among the smallholders.
As of Dec 31 last year, the MSPO certification has reached 92.6 per cent, indicating that 5.23 million hectares out of a total 5.65 million hectares of oil palm planted areas in Malaysia in 2023 have been certified under the MSPO. NST
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UK-CPTPP General Review public engagement period launched
The Department for Business and Trade has launched a period of public engagement to seek views on how CPTPP can remain a ‘gold standard’ trade agreement.
The UK signed up to the vast CPTPP trading group last July, kickstarting the UK’s membership of a modern and ambitious trade deal spanning 12 economies across Asia, the Pacific, and Europe when the UK accedes. With the UK as a member, it will account for almost 15% of global GDP in 2022.
CPTPP was conceived as a living agreement, designed to evolve to maintain its high standards. In November, CPTPP members, including the UK, reaffirmed their commitment to a General Review of the agreement. The review process will seek to keep the agreement at the cutting-edge of international trade.
We are now seeking views from businesses, individuals, and other interested stakeholders on how the deal could be enhanced through this General Review process. As the first new member, the UK will be able to help shape the future of the agreement and play a key role in setting the rules of the global economy. GOV UK
Malaysia-80 per cent of Sabah palm oil plantations achieve MSPO certification
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah palm industry aims to achieve full Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification .
Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that Sabah is the second-largest palm oil-producing state in Malaysia.
"Sabah significantly contributes to the state's revenue through the collection of State Sales Tax (CJN) on crude palm oil.
As of December 31, 2023, the total area of oil palm plantations in Sabah is 1.63 million hectares, with a total of 33,074 estates and smallholders.
Among them, the Sandakan District has the largest area and is also the major contributor to the exported palm oil production, totaling 2.11 million metric tons until December 2023," he said in a statement.
To date, 80 percent of Sabah palm oil plantations have achieved MSPO Certification in Sabah.
"However, this rate is still slightly behind the overall MSPO rate in Malaysia, which is 92.42 per cent.
"I hope that with the excellent cooperation between the Ministry and MPOB Sabah Region, the palm oil industry in Sabah will achieve full MSPO certification status, ensuring the reputation of Malaysian palm oil products on the world stage." NST
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Deputy minister wants 100% sustainable palm oil certification by MSPO in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Some 80% of palm oil businesses in Sabah have obtained Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, said Datuk Chan Foong Hin.
The Plantation and Commodities Deputy Minister however said that this was still below the nationwide rate, which currently stands at 92.42%.
“I hope with good cooperation between the ministry and the Sabah Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), the palm oil industry in the state can achieve full MSPO certification status to ensure the good reputation of Malaysia-made palm oil products on the international stage,” he said.
Chan said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Jan 11) that he had paid a working visit to the Sabah MPOB office last Friday (Jan 5) and was briefed on the latest situation in the palm oil industry in the state. The StarMY
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Malaysia must continue to position itself as global leader in sustainability, says Malaysian Minister Johari
KUALA LUMPUR: Crude palm oil (CPO) prices are expected to stabilise between RM3,900 and RM4,200 per tonne this year, backed by some 18.75 million tonnes of palm oil production amid improving labour conditions, industry executives said.
Challenges, however, remain as planters seek to comply with European and US regulations targeting links to deforestation and forced labour in the commodity's supply chain, they added.
The sector relies on foreign workers for 70 per cent of its plantation workforce, and it had seen a severe labour crunch in recent years, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said Malaysia must continue to position its palm oil industry as a global leader in sustainability.
MSPO certification programmes were intensified with continuous support from the Ministry, related agencies and various parties to ensure full adoption of sustainability requirements among the smallholders.
As of Dec 31 last year, the MSPO certification has reached 92.6 per cent, indicating that 5.23 million hectares out of a total 5.65 million hectares of oil palm planted areas in Malaysia in 2023 have been certified under the MSPO. NST
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UK-CPTPP General Review public engagement period launched
The Department for Business and Trade has launched a period of public engagement to seek views on how CPTPP can remain a ‘gold standard’ trade agreement.
The UK signed up to the vast CPTPP trading group last July, kickstarting the UK’s membership of a modern and ambitious trade deal spanning 12 economies across Asia, the Pacific, and Europe when the UK accedes. With the UK as a member, it will account for almost 15% of global GDP in 2022.
CPTPP was conceived as a living agreement, designed to evolve to maintain its high standards. In November, CPTPP members, including the UK, reaffirmed their commitment to a General Review of the agreement. The review process will seek to keep the agreement at the cutting-edge of international trade.
We are now seeking views from businesses, individuals, and other interested stakeholders on how the deal could be enhanced through this General Review process. As the first new member, the UK will be able to help shape the future of the agreement and play a key role in setting the rules of the global economy. GOV UK
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Jan 11, 2024
CPOPC to team up with other vegetable oil producers to address sustainability issues
KUALA LUMPUR: The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) plans to collaborate with other vegetable oil producers to address sustainability issues via a strategy called the triple-track approach, said its secretary-general Rizal Affandi Lukman.
Rizal said the triple-track approach aims to enhance the global perception of palm oil as a sustainable product by highlighting its sustainability standards and its role in assisting developing countries to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.
He said the triple-track approach comprises the utilisation of existing palm oil platforms, collaboration with other vegetable oils, and engagement with the United Nations platform to reshape the palm oil narrative.
"(As such), we are organising the 2024 Sustainable Vegetable Oils Conference (SVOC) which serves as a central multi-stakeholder forum, inclusive of various oils like soybean, sunflower, and rapeseed. Bernama/ New Straits Times
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Palm oil to remain key driver of Malaysia's economic growth
KUALA LUMPUR: The palm oil industry is expected to remain a key driver of Malaysia’s economic growth, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.Johari said global demand for palm oil escalated with the reopening of borders and the recovery of economic sectors boosted consumption in the importing countries, both for food and non-food based industries.
“The Malaysian palm oil industry continues to exert significant influence on the global oils and fats market – which is becoming increasingly competitive,” he said in his keynote speech at the Palm Oil Economic Review and Outlook Seminar 2024 yesterday.
Furthermore, Johari acknowledged the industry’s resilience amid substantial challenges, both domestically and globally, such as unpredictable weather conditions, environmental considerations and geopolitical unrest.
On industry outlook, he said the palm oil market maintains an optimistic outlook for 2024. This positivity is fuelled by expectations of robust palm oil demand from key export destinations, such as India, China and the European Union (EU). The SunMY
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Tight palm oil supplies to support prices in 2024: MPOB
HIGHLIGHTS
Labor scarcity limited production gains in 2023
Inventories to stay below 2 mil mt in 2024
CPO futures up 1.1% on Bursa Malaysia exchange
Malaysia's palm oil supply and output will see small increments in 2024 but limited exports from the larger rival Indonesia due to its domestic biodiesel mandate may support palm oil prices during the current year, an official with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board or MPOB said at an industry event in Kuala Lumpur Jan. 11.
The price of crude palm oil (CPO) to range between MR 3,900/mt–MR 4.200/mt ($840.16-$904.78) in 2024, with limited palm oil supplies supporting prices, MPOB said in its first outlook of the year. SP Global
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Malaysia palm oil board: improved production expected with better labour conditions this year
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Malaysia expects better labour conditions will improve palm oil production this year, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board said on Thursday. Nasdaq/ Reuters
CPOPC to team up with other vegetable oil producers to address sustainability issues
KUALA LUMPUR: The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) plans to collaborate with other vegetable oil producers to address sustainability issues via a strategy called the triple-track approach, said its secretary-general Rizal Affandi Lukman.
Rizal said the triple-track approach aims to enhance the global perception of palm oil as a sustainable product by highlighting its sustainability standards and its role in assisting developing countries to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.
He said the triple-track approach comprises the utilisation of existing palm oil platforms, collaboration with other vegetable oils, and engagement with the United Nations platform to reshape the palm oil narrative.
"(As such), we are organising the 2024 Sustainable Vegetable Oils Conference (SVOC) which serves as a central multi-stakeholder forum, inclusive of various oils like soybean, sunflower, and rapeseed. Bernama/ New Straits Times
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Palm oil to remain key driver of Malaysia's economic growth
KUALA LUMPUR: The palm oil industry is expected to remain a key driver of Malaysia’s economic growth, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.Johari said global demand for palm oil escalated with the reopening of borders and the recovery of economic sectors boosted consumption in the importing countries, both for food and non-food based industries.
“The Malaysian palm oil industry continues to exert significant influence on the global oils and fats market – which is becoming increasingly competitive,” he said in his keynote speech at the Palm Oil Economic Review and Outlook Seminar 2024 yesterday.
Furthermore, Johari acknowledged the industry’s resilience amid substantial challenges, both domestically and globally, such as unpredictable weather conditions, environmental considerations and geopolitical unrest.
On industry outlook, he said the palm oil market maintains an optimistic outlook for 2024. This positivity is fuelled by expectations of robust palm oil demand from key export destinations, such as India, China and the European Union (EU). The SunMY
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Tight palm oil supplies to support prices in 2024: MPOB
HIGHLIGHTS
Labor scarcity limited production gains in 2023
Inventories to stay below 2 mil mt in 2024
CPO futures up 1.1% on Bursa Malaysia exchange
Malaysia's palm oil supply and output will see small increments in 2024 but limited exports from the larger rival Indonesia due to its domestic biodiesel mandate may support palm oil prices during the current year, an official with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board or MPOB said at an industry event in Kuala Lumpur Jan. 11.
The price of crude palm oil (CPO) to range between MR 3,900/mt–MR 4.200/mt ($840.16-$904.78) in 2024, with limited palm oil supplies supporting prices, MPOB said in its first outlook of the year. SP Global
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Malaysia palm oil board: improved production expected with better labour conditions this year
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Malaysia expects better labour conditions will improve palm oil production this year, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board said on Thursday. Nasdaq/ Reuters
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Jan 09, 2024
Malaysia-Experts divided over El Nino’s impact on 2024 palm oil yields
An analyst expects production to drop by almost a million metric tonnes while the MPOB anticipates higher yields this year.
PETALING JAYA: The El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to lead to a decline in palm oil yield in 2024, but experts differ on the extent of the impact on production.
In fact, there is also the view that any drop in production could be mitigated by higher deployment of labour and maturation of crops and this could even lead to higher yields.
Fastmarkets Palm Oil Analytics senior analyst Sathia Varqa said the current El Nino weather pattern could cut production by 500,000mt to a million mt in 2024 if it is fully developed.
However Glenauk Economics managing director Julian McGill, who is the less pessimistic of the two, pointed out that previous significant weather events were worse. FMT
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Japan's Sumitomo eyes biodiesel mass production in Japan for decarbonization
Trading house to test wood and sugarcane as more vehicle-friendly feedstocks
TOKYO -- Trading house Sumitomo Corp. is looking to mass-produce biodiesel in Japan using wood and sugarcane waste, in a bid to give the hard-to-make renewable fuel more of a foothold in the country.
The Japanese trading house plans to open a demonstration plant in 2025 on the southern island of Tanegashima with the University of Tokyo and Solariant Capital, a U.S. renewable energy development and investment company. After testing and getting mass production underway, the company plans to gradually increase output starting in fiscal 2027, aiming to eventually reach 1 million tonnes per year.
The facility will use wood from tree thinning and sugarcane bagasse -- a fibrous residue -- from a Tanegashima factory owned by Sumitomo group company Shinko Sugar. The feedstock will be blended with fuel oil.
This comes amid a recent push to cut carbon emissions from diesel, used in trucks and buses. Biodiesel fuels currently produced from used cooking oils have a high viscosity that can cause problems for engines and other vehicle parts. The Japanese government recommends fuel blends with only 5% biodiesel, which has led to limited production in the country.
Sumitomo contends that incorporating wood chips and the sugarcane bagasse will reduce viscosity, allowing for concentrations up to 30%. Nikkei Asia
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Indonesian banks under increasing regulatory pressure to disclose climate risks
Indonesia’s financial watchdog expects all banks to start scrutinising their carbon-intensive loan books more closely for climate risks, but accurate emissions data remains challenging.
by Natasha Teja
Indonesian banks are under increasing regulatory pressure to scrutinise their loan portfolios for exposure to carbon-intensive sectors. Last month, Indonesia’s financial services authority (OJK) announced that all banks need to factor climate risks into their lending decisions by 2026. Previously, only banks that were part of OJK’s climate task force had to participate in climate stress testing.
“For the Indonesian context, I think we’re looking at a significant shift within the next two-to-five years in how financial risks associated with climate change are reported and managed,” says Yuliana Sudjonno, sustainability leader at PwC Indonesia.
Jeffrosenberg Chen Lim, head of equity research at Maybank Securities Indonesia, says there has been a national push for financial institutions to disclose and consider climate risks. “Big banks like Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Central Asia and Bank Negara Indonesia have been expanding their reporting on Scope 3 emissions from their financing,” he says.
Malaysia-Experts divided over El Nino’s impact on 2024 palm oil yields
An analyst expects production to drop by almost a million metric tonnes while the MPOB anticipates higher yields this year.
PETALING JAYA: The El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to lead to a decline in palm oil yield in 2024, but experts differ on the extent of the impact on production.
In fact, there is also the view that any drop in production could be mitigated by higher deployment of labour and maturation of crops and this could even lead to higher yields.
Fastmarkets Palm Oil Analytics senior analyst Sathia Varqa said the current El Nino weather pattern could cut production by 500,000mt to a million mt in 2024 if it is fully developed.
However Glenauk Economics managing director Julian McGill, who is the less pessimistic of the two, pointed out that previous significant weather events were worse. FMT
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Japan's Sumitomo eyes biodiesel mass production in Japan for decarbonization
Trading house to test wood and sugarcane as more vehicle-friendly feedstocks
TOKYO -- Trading house Sumitomo Corp. is looking to mass-produce biodiesel in Japan using wood and sugarcane waste, in a bid to give the hard-to-make renewable fuel more of a foothold in the country.
The Japanese trading house plans to open a demonstration plant in 2025 on the southern island of Tanegashima with the University of Tokyo and Solariant Capital, a U.S. renewable energy development and investment company. After testing and getting mass production underway, the company plans to gradually increase output starting in fiscal 2027, aiming to eventually reach 1 million tonnes per year.
The facility will use wood from tree thinning and sugarcane bagasse -- a fibrous residue -- from a Tanegashima factory owned by Sumitomo group company Shinko Sugar. The feedstock will be blended with fuel oil.
This comes amid a recent push to cut carbon emissions from diesel, used in trucks and buses. Biodiesel fuels currently produced from used cooking oils have a high viscosity that can cause problems for engines and other vehicle parts. The Japanese government recommends fuel blends with only 5% biodiesel, which has led to limited production in the country.
Sumitomo contends that incorporating wood chips and the sugarcane bagasse will reduce viscosity, allowing for concentrations up to 30%. Nikkei Asia
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Indonesian banks under increasing regulatory pressure to disclose climate risks
Indonesia’s financial watchdog expects all banks to start scrutinising their carbon-intensive loan books more closely for climate risks, but accurate emissions data remains challenging.
by Natasha Teja
Indonesian banks are under increasing regulatory pressure to scrutinise their loan portfolios for exposure to carbon-intensive sectors. Last month, Indonesia’s financial services authority (OJK) announced that all banks need to factor climate risks into their lending decisions by 2026. Previously, only banks that were part of OJK’s climate task force had to participate in climate stress testing.
“For the Indonesian context, I think we’re looking at a significant shift within the next two-to-five years in how financial risks associated with climate change are reported and managed,” says Yuliana Sudjonno, sustainability leader at PwC Indonesia.
Jeffrosenberg Chen Lim, head of equity research at Maybank Securities Indonesia, says there has been a national push for financial institutions to disclose and consider climate risks. “Big banks like Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Central Asia and Bank Negara Indonesia have been expanding their reporting on Scope 3 emissions from their financing,” he says.
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Jan 08, 2024
Indonesia-Gaining Global South’s Respect Starts From Home, says Presidential-hopeful, Prabowo
Jakarta. Presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto said in Sunday's election debate that gaining the respect of other South countries should start by developing Indonesia’s economy, among others, by processing its natural resources at home to capture more value out of its commodities.
Prabowo was responding to a panelist's question on his strategy to bolster the Global South cooperation of developing economies. In 1955, newly independent nations gathered in Bandung for the Asian-African conference. This meeting laid the foundation for South-South cooperation. According to Prabowo, Indonesia today will only earn the Global South's respect by growing its economy.
“Our national geopolitical and economic interests are of utmost importance in our international relations. So we must strengthen our very own economy. We need to safeguard and manage our [resource] abundance … by developing our domestic industries. So the value of our commodities can skyrocket dozens of times. We will gather all of our financial assets to make our people more prosperous,” Prabowo said at the debate, speaking in front of his rivals Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan. Jakarta Globe
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Indonesia-'Palm oil-free' claim stirs debate on product labeling rules
The government is considering whether to ban a type of locally made chocolate after a “palm oil-free” label on the product caused anger among palm oil producers who feared it would negatively affect perceptions of the country’s top export commodity. The chocolate is sold under the brand Korté Chocolate Cashew & Seasalt, which is produced by Surabaya-based CV Korté Mitra Kreasi. Tommy Andana, Trade Ministry director of trade compliance, said in a statement on Thursday that it considered the label negative campaigning against food products containing palm oil.
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "'Palm oil-free' claim stirs debate on product labeling rules". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/01/08/palm-oil-free-claim-stirs-debate-on-product-labeling-rules.html.
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Indonesia-Energy ministry increases biodiesel quota for 2024
The government has increased the quota for subsidized 35 percent biodiesel (B35) to 13.41 million kiloliters (kL) this year, given the relatively high absorption of biodiesel in 2023. The quota was increased around 2 percent compared to last year’s quota of 13.15 million kL, which was up 19 percent from the 2022 quota of 11.02 million kL. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's bioenergy director, Edi Wibowo, said the reason for increasing the quota was the successful delivery of last year’s mandatory B35 program
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "Energy ministry increases biodiesel quota for 2024". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/01/08/energy-ministry-increases-biodiesel-quota-for-2024.html.
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Deal on new EU rules to reduce road transport emissions
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to reduce road transport emissions for passenger cars, vans, buses, trucks and trailers.
The regulation for the type-approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles (Euro 7) aims to support the transition towards clean mobility.
At Parliament’s request, the number of exhaust particles will be measured at the level of PN10 (instead of PN23, thereby including smaller particles).
For buses and trucks, the agreed text includes stricter limits for exhaust emissions measured in laboratories (e.g. NOx limit of 200mg/kWh) and in real driving conditions (NOx limit of 260 mg/kWh), while maintaining the current Euro VI testing conditions.
The deal sets brake particles emissions limits (PM10) for cars and vans - 7mg/km for most internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles and 11mg/km for large ICE vans).
The text foresees an Environmental Vehicle Passport, to be made available for each vehicle and containing information on its environmental performance at the moment of registration.
Vehicle users will also have access to up-to-date information about fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by on-board systems and monitors. Moreover, car manufacturers will have to design their vehicles so as to prevent tampering with emissions control systems through the digitalisation of automobile monitoring. Biofuels News
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Indonesia-Gaining Global South’s Respect Starts From Home, says Presidential-hopeful, Prabowo
Jakarta. Presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto said in Sunday's election debate that gaining the respect of other South countries should start by developing Indonesia’s economy, among others, by processing its natural resources at home to capture more value out of its commodities.
Prabowo was responding to a panelist's question on his strategy to bolster the Global South cooperation of developing economies. In 1955, newly independent nations gathered in Bandung for the Asian-African conference. This meeting laid the foundation for South-South cooperation. According to Prabowo, Indonesia today will only earn the Global South's respect by growing its economy.
“Our national geopolitical and economic interests are of utmost importance in our international relations. So we must strengthen our very own economy. We need to safeguard and manage our [resource] abundance … by developing our domestic industries. So the value of our commodities can skyrocket dozens of times. We will gather all of our financial assets to make our people more prosperous,” Prabowo said at the debate, speaking in front of his rivals Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan. Jakarta Globe
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Indonesia-'Palm oil-free' claim stirs debate on product labeling rules
The government is considering whether to ban a type of locally made chocolate after a “palm oil-free” label on the product caused anger among palm oil producers who feared it would negatively affect perceptions of the country’s top export commodity. The chocolate is sold under the brand Korté Chocolate Cashew & Seasalt, which is produced by Surabaya-based CV Korté Mitra Kreasi. Tommy Andana, Trade Ministry director of trade compliance, said in a statement on Thursday that it considered the label negative campaigning against food products containing palm oil.
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "'Palm oil-free' claim stirs debate on product labeling rules". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/01/08/palm-oil-free-claim-stirs-debate-on-product-labeling-rules.html.
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Indonesia-Energy ministry increases biodiesel quota for 2024
The government has increased the quota for subsidized 35 percent biodiesel (B35) to 13.41 million kiloliters (kL) this year, given the relatively high absorption of biodiesel in 2023. The quota was increased around 2 percent compared to last year’s quota of 13.15 million kL, which was up 19 percent from the 2022 quota of 11.02 million kL. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's bioenergy director, Edi Wibowo, said the reason for increasing the quota was the successful delivery of last year’s mandatory B35 program
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "Energy ministry increases biodiesel quota for 2024". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/01/08/energy-ministry-increases-biodiesel-quota-for-2024.html.
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Deal on new EU rules to reduce road transport emissions
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to reduce road transport emissions for passenger cars, vans, buses, trucks and trailers.
The regulation for the type-approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles (Euro 7) aims to support the transition towards clean mobility.
At Parliament’s request, the number of exhaust particles will be measured at the level of PN10 (instead of PN23, thereby including smaller particles).
For buses and trucks, the agreed text includes stricter limits for exhaust emissions measured in laboratories (e.g. NOx limit of 200mg/kWh) and in real driving conditions (NOx limit of 260 mg/kWh), while maintaining the current Euro VI testing conditions.
The deal sets brake particles emissions limits (PM10) for cars and vans - 7mg/km for most internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles and 11mg/km for large ICE vans).
The text foresees an Environmental Vehicle Passport, to be made available for each vehicle and containing information on its environmental performance at the moment of registration.
Vehicle users will also have access to up-to-date information about fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by on-board systems and monitors. Moreover, car manufacturers will have to design their vehicles so as to prevent tampering with emissions control systems through the digitalisation of automobile monitoring. Biofuels News
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Jan 07, 2024
Indonesia-A Peek at Presidential Candidates’ Stance on Ties with EU
Jayanty Nada Shofa
Jakarta. Presidential hopefuls -- Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, and Anies Baswedan -- are about to go on another debate later this evening with this round focusing on international relations, among others, and ties with the European Union (EU) will likely come up.
Indonesia today is embracing a “free and active” foreign policy – meaning that the country is not aligning with any major power. Prabowo has said that he wanted a “good neighbor policy” should he win the election, saying: “1,000 friends are too few, one enemy is too many.” Ganjar is planning to maintain Indonesia’s current approach to international relations. But by “free”, it should mean that the country has the freedom to design much more strategic policies. Anies has said he sought to shift towards a non-transactional, value-led policy, saying that Indonesia has been too focused on attracting economic gains.
But speaking of the EU, Prabowo -- whose running mate Gibran Rakabuming is Jokowi’s eldest son -- did not hold back on his criticism towards the European bloc. Albeit his “good neighbor policy”, Prabowo criticized the EU as having double standards, demanding the bloc treat Indonesia equally. He was critical of the EU's anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR), which can hamper Indonesian commodities like palm oil, coffee, cocoa, and rubber, among others, from entering the European market. Jakarta Globe
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Nigeria-Cross River Develops 3.5m Oil Palm Seedlings, Nurseries
Thirteen designated communities and farmers in Cross River State have received 3.5 million oil palm seedlings and nurseries in the last seven months from the…
Thirteen designated communities and farmers in Cross River State have received 3.5 million oil palm seedlings and nurseries in the last seven months from the government to expand their farms.
Confirmed this in a statement, the Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, said it was part of an aggressive elevation of the state’s oil palm production status, noting that oil palm was one of the cash crops they were poised to promote.
He explained that this would be done from a N30bn commercial agricultural development fund called “Project Grow” meant to bolster the sector.
He said it was the single largest agricultural productivity reform which the government had embarked upon to promote all-year-round agricultural production. Daily Trust
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Malaysia-Five years on, the tide has now turned for Malaysia's Indigenous Palm Oil Farmers
Lots of things have happened during the past five years, from the unexpected change of federal government and the subsequent political turmoil, to the sweeping pandemic that compelled lockdowns across the globe.
Indeed, the period has not been kind for many of us around the world, but behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining and for the residents of Rumah Morgan, that silver lining has been the rising price of palm oil.
Boon for smallholder planters
After dipping to a 10-year annual average low of US$601 per tonne in 2019, palm oil prices have been steadily increasing, reaching a new high of US$1,776.96 per tonne in March 2022 before settling to the new annual average high of US$1,276 per tonne for that year.
Such growth has been largely driven by rising demands for biodiesel associated with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which broke out in early 2022, and most recently, the Middle East conflicts that began in October 2023. The Borneo Post
Indonesia-A Peek at Presidential Candidates’ Stance on Ties with EU
Jayanty Nada Shofa
Jakarta. Presidential hopefuls -- Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, and Anies Baswedan -- are about to go on another debate later this evening with this round focusing on international relations, among others, and ties with the European Union (EU) will likely come up.
Indonesia today is embracing a “free and active” foreign policy – meaning that the country is not aligning with any major power. Prabowo has said that he wanted a “good neighbor policy” should he win the election, saying: “1,000 friends are too few, one enemy is too many.” Ganjar is planning to maintain Indonesia’s current approach to international relations. But by “free”, it should mean that the country has the freedom to design much more strategic policies. Anies has said he sought to shift towards a non-transactional, value-led policy, saying that Indonesia has been too focused on attracting economic gains.
But speaking of the EU, Prabowo -- whose running mate Gibran Rakabuming is Jokowi’s eldest son -- did not hold back on his criticism towards the European bloc. Albeit his “good neighbor policy”, Prabowo criticized the EU as having double standards, demanding the bloc treat Indonesia equally. He was critical of the EU's anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR), which can hamper Indonesian commodities like palm oil, coffee, cocoa, and rubber, among others, from entering the European market. Jakarta Globe
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Nigeria-Cross River Develops 3.5m Oil Palm Seedlings, Nurseries
Thirteen designated communities and farmers in Cross River State have received 3.5 million oil palm seedlings and nurseries in the last seven months from the…
Thirteen designated communities and farmers in Cross River State have received 3.5 million oil palm seedlings and nurseries in the last seven months from the government to expand their farms.
Confirmed this in a statement, the Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, said it was part of an aggressive elevation of the state’s oil palm production status, noting that oil palm was one of the cash crops they were poised to promote.
He explained that this would be done from a N30bn commercial agricultural development fund called “Project Grow” meant to bolster the sector.
He said it was the single largest agricultural productivity reform which the government had embarked upon to promote all-year-round agricultural production. Daily Trust
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Malaysia-Five years on, the tide has now turned for Malaysia's Indigenous Palm Oil Farmers
Lots of things have happened during the past five years, from the unexpected change of federal government and the subsequent political turmoil, to the sweeping pandemic that compelled lockdowns across the globe.
Indeed, the period has not been kind for many of us around the world, but behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining and for the residents of Rumah Morgan, that silver lining has been the rising price of palm oil.
Boon for smallholder planters
After dipping to a 10-year annual average low of US$601 per tonne in 2019, palm oil prices have been steadily increasing, reaching a new high of US$1,776.96 per tonne in March 2022 before settling to the new annual average high of US$1,276 per tonne for that year.
Such growth has been largely driven by rising demands for biodiesel associated with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which broke out in early 2022, and most recently, the Middle East conflicts that began in October 2023. The Borneo Post
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Jan 06, 2024
Indonesia implemented three trade agreements in 2023: Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan
he Indonesian government started implementing three international trade agreements involving the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and South Korea last year, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan stated.
Hasan noted that in 2023, the Ministry of Trade had executed the Indonesia-UAE Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (UAE-CEPA), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and Indonesia-South Korea CEPA.
"In 2023, we opened market access in an effort to create new markets. The president has demanded that Indonesia not rely on markets in traditional countries," he remarked during the Trade Ministry Outlook 2024 event in Jakarta on Thursday (January 4).
The minister expressed belief that by eyeing trade agreements with countries beyond its traditional trading partners, Indonesia will be able to create new markets that, in turn, will boost the country's exports.
He then pointed out that over the course of 2023, Indonesia had managed to finalize several trade agreements, including the First Protocol to Amend the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA) and Protocol Amending the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA).
Hasan remarked that the Indonesia-Malaysia Border Trade Agreement (BTA), International Coffee Agreement (ICA) 2022, and Second Protocol to Amend the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) were signed by Indonesia last year.
Under Indonesia's chairmanship in 2023, the minister highlighted that the ASEAN had managed to finalize the association's seven economic priorities. Antara News
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Nigeria-How EU deforestation law, insecurity will shape agric in 2024
Some of the issues affecting Nigeria’s agriculture in the last five years have remained despite billions of naira spent by the government and yearly interventions from international donor agencies.
It is still about worsening insecurity, lack of efficient infrastructure, inflation, and poor funding, among others.
Here are four critical issues that will impact the country’s agricultural productivity in 2024.
EU deforestation law
The European Parliament recently approved a ban on the importation of commodities tied to deforestation, a leading cause of climate change that accounts for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Business DayNG
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Ethiopia launches $20 mln Coffee Land Use Program (FOLUR)
In partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Government of Ethiopia has officially embarked on a long-term program to combat deforestation and integrate sustainability in the coffee sector.
With additional funding from the Washington DC-based Global Environment Facility (GEF), the joint project has a budget of USD 20.8 million, with plans to run from 2023-2031, according to the UNDP.
Called “Preventing Forest Loss, Promoting Restoration, and Integrating Sustainability into Ethiopia’s Coffee Value Chains & Food Systems,” the project is designed to prevent deforestation, promote reforestation and provide market support for Ethiopian coffee producers.
The Ethiopia coffee project is one of 26 different country projects under the name FOLUR (“Food. Land Use. Restoration.”) Together, they comprise billions of dollars in public and private investments with a focus on large-scale production landscapes for agricultural products such as coffee, cocoa, corn, coffee, livestock, palm oil, rice, soy and wheat.
Ethiopia Minister of Planning and Development Fitsum Assefa led the inauguration of the FOLUR project in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa yesterday. The Reporter Ethiopia
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North-Eastern States of India Engage in Major Oil Palm Plantation Drive
Several northeastern states in India, including Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Mizoram, have taken a significant step towards self-reliance in edible oils. These states partook in a comprehensive oil palm plantation drive, covering over 750 hectares across 19 districts. The drive is in line with the National Mission for Edible Oils- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), aiming to boost domestic production of crude palm oil and reduce the nation’s dependency on imports.
Increasing Self-Reliance in Edible Oils
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) via its Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) has identified approximately 28 lakh hectares of land suitable for oil palm cultivation, with the northeast region alone accounting for about 9.62 lakh hectares. Currently, India imports around 9 million tonnes of palm oil annually, costing about INR 40,000 crore and constituting over half of the country’s total edible oil imports. ICAR-IIOPR is committed to researching genetic resources, crop improvement, and production technologies to increase oil palm yields and mitigate the reliance on imports. BNN Breaking
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Indonesia implemented three trade agreements in 2023: Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan
he Indonesian government started implementing three international trade agreements involving the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and South Korea last year, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan stated.
Hasan noted that in 2023, the Ministry of Trade had executed the Indonesia-UAE Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (UAE-CEPA), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and Indonesia-South Korea CEPA.
"In 2023, we opened market access in an effort to create new markets. The president has demanded that Indonesia not rely on markets in traditional countries," he remarked during the Trade Ministry Outlook 2024 event in Jakarta on Thursday (January 4).
The minister expressed belief that by eyeing trade agreements with countries beyond its traditional trading partners, Indonesia will be able to create new markets that, in turn, will boost the country's exports.
He then pointed out that over the course of 2023, Indonesia had managed to finalize several trade agreements, including the First Protocol to Amend the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA) and Protocol Amending the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA).
Hasan remarked that the Indonesia-Malaysia Border Trade Agreement (BTA), International Coffee Agreement (ICA) 2022, and Second Protocol to Amend the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) were signed by Indonesia last year.
Under Indonesia's chairmanship in 2023, the minister highlighted that the ASEAN had managed to finalize the association's seven economic priorities. Antara News
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Nigeria-How EU deforestation law, insecurity will shape agric in 2024
Some of the issues affecting Nigeria’s agriculture in the last five years have remained despite billions of naira spent by the government and yearly interventions from international donor agencies.
It is still about worsening insecurity, lack of efficient infrastructure, inflation, and poor funding, among others.
Here are four critical issues that will impact the country’s agricultural productivity in 2024.
EU deforestation law
The European Parliament recently approved a ban on the importation of commodities tied to deforestation, a leading cause of climate change that accounts for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Business DayNG
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Ethiopia launches $20 mln Coffee Land Use Program (FOLUR)
In partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Government of Ethiopia has officially embarked on a long-term program to combat deforestation and integrate sustainability in the coffee sector.
With additional funding from the Washington DC-based Global Environment Facility (GEF), the joint project has a budget of USD 20.8 million, with plans to run from 2023-2031, according to the UNDP.
Called “Preventing Forest Loss, Promoting Restoration, and Integrating Sustainability into Ethiopia’s Coffee Value Chains & Food Systems,” the project is designed to prevent deforestation, promote reforestation and provide market support for Ethiopian coffee producers.
The Ethiopia coffee project is one of 26 different country projects under the name FOLUR (“Food. Land Use. Restoration.”) Together, they comprise billions of dollars in public and private investments with a focus on large-scale production landscapes for agricultural products such as coffee, cocoa, corn, coffee, livestock, palm oil, rice, soy and wheat.
Ethiopia Minister of Planning and Development Fitsum Assefa led the inauguration of the FOLUR project in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa yesterday. The Reporter Ethiopia
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North-Eastern States of India Engage in Major Oil Palm Plantation Drive
Several northeastern states in India, including Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Mizoram, have taken a significant step towards self-reliance in edible oils. These states partook in a comprehensive oil palm plantation drive, covering over 750 hectares across 19 districts. The drive is in line with the National Mission for Edible Oils- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), aiming to boost domestic production of crude palm oil and reduce the nation’s dependency on imports.
Increasing Self-Reliance in Edible Oils
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) via its Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) has identified approximately 28 lakh hectares of land suitable for oil palm cultivation, with the northeast region alone accounting for about 9.62 lakh hectares. Currently, India imports around 9 million tonnes of palm oil annually, costing about INR 40,000 crore and constituting over half of the country’s total edible oil imports. ICAR-IIOPR is committed to researching genetic resources, crop improvement, and production technologies to increase oil palm yields and mitigate the reliance on imports. BNN Breaking
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Jan 05, 2024
Deforestation: MPs warn UK is eating too much beef and chocolate - and it's destroying the world's forests
The government is being urged to set a timeline for new laws to rein in the country's "unsustainable" consumption of some of the riskiest products
The UK is eating huge amounts of beef, soy, cocoa, and palm oil - and a government committee has warned it's putting enormous pressure on forests across the world.
On Thursday (4 January), the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) called on the government to act with urgency, as it released a new report on Britain’s contribution to the global destruction of forests. The report has revealed that the intensity of the UK’s consumption on the world’s forests – when measured by its footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China.
The report comes after the government announced that four commodities linked to deforestation – cattle products (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy – will have to be certified as “sustainable” if they are to be sold into UK markets. More products will be able to be added to the list over time, but the government has yet to give a date for when the legislation will be introduced altogether. National World
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Consumption patterns must change to tackle deforestation
Ministers should develop a global footprint indicator to highlight the UK’s impact on global deforestation amid concerns that current consumption is driving biodiversity loss.
A report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) found that consumption patterns in the UK are currently unsustainable, with the nation’s appetite for commodities including soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather putting enormous pressure on forests.
The intensity of UK consumption on the world’s forests – measured as footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China, the committee found. It said addressing these patterns is essential to the UK’s contribution to the alleviation of global biodiversity loss and recognising the need to reduce the UK’s overall consumption is a first step.
The MPs called for the government to start the process of setting an environmental footprint target with the aim of reducing the UK’s global environmental impact, including its deforestation footprint.
Globally, deforestation contributes 11% of global carbon emissions, exceeding those from aviation and cement production. Around 90% of deforestation is driven by land-use change to agriculture, often involving the destruction of irreplaceable biodiverse habitats for the production of forest-risk commodities including cattle, soy, palm oil, cocoa, rubber and coffee.
The report highlighted too how deforestation and biodiversity loss have a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of local communities, including indigenous peoples, with 25% of the world’s total population and 90% of the world’s population who live in extreme poverty depending on forests for some part of their livelihood. Food Service Footprint
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Interactive: China's demographic time bomb for global food demand
China has been a critical driver in world food trade over the past 30 years. Its growth in food consumption has been driven by rapid economic and population growth, with its population growing by nearly 25% from 1990 to 2020, while GDP grew at an average rate of 9%. This caused China to rely on food imports as its crop production could not keep up.
However, China’s economy is slowing, and its population is shrinking due to rapidly declining birth rates. Its slowing food demand growth is easing its food security issues, which will significantly impact agriculture and food exports to China.
Over the past 30 years China has gone from a non-factor in world trade to a big deal. SPGlobal
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Marketing And Communicating To The Global Majority
Kian Bakhtiari
“Any fool can make soap. It takes a clever man to sell it.” said Thomas J. Barratt, the world’s first brand manager. Barratt famously used John Everett Millais's painting of a young boy blowing bubbles to sell Pears soap. The British Empire’s extraction of palm oil and coconut oil from African land made soap cheaper and more accessible to the unwashed masses.
Soap production in England was 28,536 tonnes in 1810. But by 1880, a single East London factory could produce 203,000 tonnes of soap per week. Advertising was born from rapid industrialization, European colonialism and mass production.
The legacy of 20th-century marketing practices still reverberates around the world. Culture is shaped by words, images and signs transmitted from London, Paris and New York. Marketing penetrates our collective psyche. It can create norms, change minds and generate demand. But it can also promote human rights, sustainable development and collective action. Like a pen, it can be wielded to spread love or hate. Marketing is value-neutral. Forbes
Deforestation: MPs warn UK is eating too much beef and chocolate - and it's destroying the world's forests
The government is being urged to set a timeline for new laws to rein in the country's "unsustainable" consumption of some of the riskiest products
The UK is eating huge amounts of beef, soy, cocoa, and palm oil - and a government committee has warned it's putting enormous pressure on forests across the world.
On Thursday (4 January), the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) called on the government to act with urgency, as it released a new report on Britain’s contribution to the global destruction of forests. The report has revealed that the intensity of the UK’s consumption on the world’s forests – when measured by its footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China.
The report comes after the government announced that four commodities linked to deforestation – cattle products (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy – will have to be certified as “sustainable” if they are to be sold into UK markets. More products will be able to be added to the list over time, but the government has yet to give a date for when the legislation will be introduced altogether. National World
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Consumption patterns must change to tackle deforestation
Ministers should develop a global footprint indicator to highlight the UK’s impact on global deforestation amid concerns that current consumption is driving biodiversity loss.
A report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) found that consumption patterns in the UK are currently unsustainable, with the nation’s appetite for commodities including soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather putting enormous pressure on forests.
The intensity of UK consumption on the world’s forests – measured as footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China, the committee found. It said addressing these patterns is essential to the UK’s contribution to the alleviation of global biodiversity loss and recognising the need to reduce the UK’s overall consumption is a first step.
The MPs called for the government to start the process of setting an environmental footprint target with the aim of reducing the UK’s global environmental impact, including its deforestation footprint.
Globally, deforestation contributes 11% of global carbon emissions, exceeding those from aviation and cement production. Around 90% of deforestation is driven by land-use change to agriculture, often involving the destruction of irreplaceable biodiverse habitats for the production of forest-risk commodities including cattle, soy, palm oil, cocoa, rubber and coffee.
The report highlighted too how deforestation and biodiversity loss have a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of local communities, including indigenous peoples, with 25% of the world’s total population and 90% of the world’s population who live in extreme poverty depending on forests for some part of their livelihood. Food Service Footprint
----------
Interactive: China's demographic time bomb for global food demand
China has been a critical driver in world food trade over the past 30 years. Its growth in food consumption has been driven by rapid economic and population growth, with its population growing by nearly 25% from 1990 to 2020, while GDP grew at an average rate of 9%. This caused China to rely on food imports as its crop production could not keep up.
However, China’s economy is slowing, and its population is shrinking due to rapidly declining birth rates. Its slowing food demand growth is easing its food security issues, which will significantly impact agriculture and food exports to China.
Over the past 30 years China has gone from a non-factor in world trade to a big deal. SPGlobal
---------
Marketing And Communicating To The Global Majority
Kian Bakhtiari
“Any fool can make soap. It takes a clever man to sell it.” said Thomas J. Barratt, the world’s first brand manager. Barratt famously used John Everett Millais's painting of a young boy blowing bubbles to sell Pears soap. The British Empire’s extraction of palm oil and coconut oil from African land made soap cheaper and more accessible to the unwashed masses.
Soap production in England was 28,536 tonnes in 1810. But by 1880, a single East London factory could produce 203,000 tonnes of soap per week. Advertising was born from rapid industrialization, European colonialism and mass production.
The legacy of 20th-century marketing practices still reverberates around the world. Culture is shaped by words, images and signs transmitted from London, Paris and New York. Marketing penetrates our collective psyche. It can create norms, change minds and generate demand. But it can also promote human rights, sustainable development and collective action. Like a pen, it can be wielded to spread love or hate. Marketing is value-neutral. Forbes
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Jan 04, 2024
The lungs of the world are collapsing at an alarming rate: EAC urges Government to act with urgency to tackle global deforestation
UK consumption is unsustainable, with the nation’s appetite for commodities including soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather putting enormous pressure on forests – the lungs of the world – the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warns today.
Forests host 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people and provide vital ecosystem services to support local and global economies. Deforestation threatens irreplaceable biodiverse habitats and contributes 11% of global carbon emissions.
The intensity of UK consumption on the world’s forests – its footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China. The EAC is calling on Ministers to develop a Global Footprint Indicator to demonstrate this impact to the public, and a target to reduce the UK’s impact on global deforestation. Such a measure will only be meaningful if sufficient monitoring and reporting is embedded for forest risks – including mining – so EAC recommends that the Government work with international partners to improve oversight in the UK and globally.
Through legislative provision in the Environment Act, the Government has committed to establishing a regime to require forest-based commodities to be certified as ‘sustainable’ if they are to be sold into UK markets. At COP28 the Government announced that the first four of these commodities are to be cattle products (other than dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy, which the EAC was pleased to see.
While the Government’s intention to tackle sustainability concerns of products is welcome, EAC is concerned over the seeming lack of urgency about the implementation of this regime, given global commitments to halt and reverse current deforestation trends by 2030. For instance, no timeline has been offered as to when this important legislation will be introduced, and its phased approach of incorporating products gradually into the regime does not reflect the necessity of tackling deforestation urgently. Committees Parliament UK
---------
The UK’s contribution to tackling global deforestation – Report Summary
This is a House of Commons Committee report, with recommendations to government. The Government has two months to respond.
Deforestation is a key driver of both climate change and biodiversity loss. Forests host 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. If protected and restored globally, forests could provide up to 37% of the greenhouse gas mitigation required to ensure a good chance of stabilising warming to below 2˚C between now and 2030.
Globally, deforestation threatens irreplaceable biodiverse habitats and contributes 11% of global carbon emissions, surpassing those from aviation and cement production. Around 90% of deforestation is driven by land-use change to agriculture for the production of forest-risk commodities including cattle, soy, palm oil, cocoa, rubber and coffee.
Deforestation and biodiversity loss have a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of local communities, including indigenous peoples. 25% of the world’s total population, and 90% of the world’s population who live in extreme poverty, depend on forests for some part of their livelihood.
Indigenous peoples play an important role in protecting the around 80% of the world’s biodiversity globally, despite making up just 5% of the world’s population. Through their direct dependence on their local ecosystems and inter-generational knowledge, indigenous peoples and local communities can possess detailed knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem trends and are important contributors to the governance of biodiversity from local to global levels.
Indigenous peoples reliant on forests for their livelihoods often suffer directly from the pressures of expansion of agricultural frontiers and of the production of commodities such as mining, logging, and energy. This is impacted by the fact that they often only have customary tenure rights to the land they live on: it is often difficult for indigenous and other local communities to secure their land rights in the face of violence, retribution and historical marginalisation.
The UK’s contribution to deforestation Publications Parliament UK
---------
Indonesia: jurisdictional approach helps drive sustainable palm oil
A jurisdictional approach (JA) has the potential to enhance Indonesia’s district and national action plans on palm oil plantation sustainability, according to new research conducted by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) in four districts across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The work also underscores the advantages of involving local governments in spearheading the application of research and development.
Given the significant role of palm oil in Indonesia’s economy, which encompasses large- and small-scale producers, adopting a JA can help to mitigate the adverse effects of palm plantation activities, enhance natural forest governance, curb deforestation, and boost the production of fresh fruit bunches for sale. The JA initiative in Indonesia engages actors vertically across different levels, and horizontally across jurisdictions at the same level
During a national workshop and dialogue held by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) on October 12, 2023 at CIFOR-ICRAF’s head office in Bogor, senior scientist Herry Purnomo noted that only 21 percent of palm oil in Indonesia is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and that JAs could help to boost this figure.
“JAs can address some of the key issues associated with a project-based approach, including leakage, additionality, permanence, social safeguards, certification exclusion, externality, and benefit sharing,” Purnomo said. Further, he said that the approach aligns well with Article 28, Paragraph 33 of the Indonesian Constitution, ensuring that natural resources are utilized for the prosperity of the people. Forestnews CIFOR
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Palm oil rebounds on robust Indian demand and stronger crude prices
Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Thursday, after a four-session losing streak, underpinned by robust demand from key buyer India and higher crude oil prices.
The benchmark palm oil contract for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 15 ringgit, or 0.4 per cent, to 3,636 ringgit ($784.13) a metric ton at the midday break.
Indonesia recorded domestic sales obligation realisation of 3.26 million metric tons in 2023, which translated into 25.2 million tons in export permits, Trade Ministry official Syailendra said.
India's palm oil imports in December rose to their highest in four months as purchases of refined palmolein surged because of competitive prices, five dealers told Reuters on Wednesday.
Oil prices rose in early trade on Thursday, extending the previous day's sharp gains on concerns about Middle Eastern supply.
Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. Business Standard
The lungs of the world are collapsing at an alarming rate: EAC urges Government to act with urgency to tackle global deforestation
UK consumption is unsustainable, with the nation’s appetite for commodities including soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather putting enormous pressure on forests – the lungs of the world – the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warns today.
Forests host 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people and provide vital ecosystem services to support local and global economies. Deforestation threatens irreplaceable biodiverse habitats and contributes 11% of global carbon emissions.
The intensity of UK consumption on the world’s forests – its footprint per tonne of product consumed – is higher than that of China. The EAC is calling on Ministers to develop a Global Footprint Indicator to demonstrate this impact to the public, and a target to reduce the UK’s impact on global deforestation. Such a measure will only be meaningful if sufficient monitoring and reporting is embedded for forest risks – including mining – so EAC recommends that the Government work with international partners to improve oversight in the UK and globally.
Through legislative provision in the Environment Act, the Government has committed to establishing a regime to require forest-based commodities to be certified as ‘sustainable’ if they are to be sold into UK markets. At COP28 the Government announced that the first four of these commodities are to be cattle products (other than dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy, which the EAC was pleased to see.
While the Government’s intention to tackle sustainability concerns of products is welcome, EAC is concerned over the seeming lack of urgency about the implementation of this regime, given global commitments to halt and reverse current deforestation trends by 2030. For instance, no timeline has been offered as to when this important legislation will be introduced, and its phased approach of incorporating products gradually into the regime does not reflect the necessity of tackling deforestation urgently. Committees Parliament UK
---------
The UK’s contribution to tackling global deforestation – Report Summary
This is a House of Commons Committee report, with recommendations to government. The Government has two months to respond.
Deforestation is a key driver of both climate change and biodiversity loss. Forests host 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. If protected and restored globally, forests could provide up to 37% of the greenhouse gas mitigation required to ensure a good chance of stabilising warming to below 2˚C between now and 2030.
Globally, deforestation threatens irreplaceable biodiverse habitats and contributes 11% of global carbon emissions, surpassing those from aviation and cement production. Around 90% of deforestation is driven by land-use change to agriculture for the production of forest-risk commodities including cattle, soy, palm oil, cocoa, rubber and coffee.
Deforestation and biodiversity loss have a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of local communities, including indigenous peoples. 25% of the world’s total population, and 90% of the world’s population who live in extreme poverty, depend on forests for some part of their livelihood.
Indigenous peoples play an important role in protecting the around 80% of the world’s biodiversity globally, despite making up just 5% of the world’s population. Through their direct dependence on their local ecosystems and inter-generational knowledge, indigenous peoples and local communities can possess detailed knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem trends and are important contributors to the governance of biodiversity from local to global levels.
Indigenous peoples reliant on forests for their livelihoods often suffer directly from the pressures of expansion of agricultural frontiers and of the production of commodities such as mining, logging, and energy. This is impacted by the fact that they often only have customary tenure rights to the land they live on: it is often difficult for indigenous and other local communities to secure their land rights in the face of violence, retribution and historical marginalisation.
The UK’s contribution to deforestation Publications Parliament UK
---------
Indonesia: jurisdictional approach helps drive sustainable palm oil
A jurisdictional approach (JA) has the potential to enhance Indonesia’s district and national action plans on palm oil plantation sustainability, according to new research conducted by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) in four districts across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The work also underscores the advantages of involving local governments in spearheading the application of research and development.
Given the significant role of palm oil in Indonesia’s economy, which encompasses large- and small-scale producers, adopting a JA can help to mitigate the adverse effects of palm plantation activities, enhance natural forest governance, curb deforestation, and boost the production of fresh fruit bunches for sale. The JA initiative in Indonesia engages actors vertically across different levels, and horizontally across jurisdictions at the same level
During a national workshop and dialogue held by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) on October 12, 2023 at CIFOR-ICRAF’s head office in Bogor, senior scientist Herry Purnomo noted that only 21 percent of palm oil in Indonesia is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and that JAs could help to boost this figure.
“JAs can address some of the key issues associated with a project-based approach, including leakage, additionality, permanence, social safeguards, certification exclusion, externality, and benefit sharing,” Purnomo said. Further, he said that the approach aligns well with Article 28, Paragraph 33 of the Indonesian Constitution, ensuring that natural resources are utilized for the prosperity of the people. Forestnews CIFOR
---------
Palm oil rebounds on robust Indian demand and stronger crude prices
Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Thursday, after a four-session losing streak, underpinned by robust demand from key buyer India and higher crude oil prices.
The benchmark palm oil contract for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 15 ringgit, or 0.4 per cent, to 3,636 ringgit ($784.13) a metric ton at the midday break.
Indonesia recorded domestic sales obligation realisation of 3.26 million metric tons in 2023, which translated into 25.2 million tons in export permits, Trade Ministry official Syailendra said.
India's palm oil imports in December rose to their highest in four months as purchases of refined palmolein surged because of competitive prices, five dealers told Reuters on Wednesday.
Oil prices rose in early trade on Thursday, extending the previous day's sharp gains on concerns about Middle Eastern supply.
Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. Business Standard
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Jan 03, 2024
ISPO and EUDR: An Indonesian Perspective
Indonesia, as the largest palm oil producing country in the world, is facing new and significant challenges with the introduction of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). These regulations, designed to limit imports of commodities linked to deforestation, have sparked intense debate and concern among stakeholders across the country. With the palm oil industry being the economic backbone for millions of Indonesians, this response to the EUDR is not only important in the context of international trade but also in maintaining local environmental and socio-economic sustainability.
This article aims to disentangle and understand the complexities of interactions between Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and EUDR, as well as explore the potential for a middle way that can benefit all parties involved. Amid global pressure for more sustainable and transparent practices, Indonesia's position on the EUDR is an important statement about how the country views its sovereignty, sustainable development and rights in the global economy. Indonesia's official stance of not fully complying with the EUDR is not a rejection of the concept of sustainability itself, but rather a reflection of the need for a more inclusive and fair dialogue in global policy making. Through this article, we will dive into the various dimensions of this issue, understand the implications for small farmers, industry, and diplomatic efforts, and identify possible steps to strike a balance between local needs and international demands.
*EUDR Policy and Indonesia's Position* Sawit Indonesia
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India's Dec palm oil imports hit 4-month high as sunoil doubles-dealers
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - India's palm oil imports rose in December to their highest in four months as purchases of refined palmolein surged because of competitive prices, five dealers told Reuters on Wednesday.
Higher purchases by the world's biggest importer of vegetable oils could help lower palm oil stocks in top producers Indonesia and Malaysia and support benchmark futures FCPOc3.
India's December palm oil imports rose 1.9% from the previous month to 886,000 metric tons, estimates from dealers showed. Refined palm oil imports in the month surged 47% to 252,000 tons, they said.
The refining margin for crude palm oil was negative for Indian refiners, while exporting countries were offering refined palm oil at a cheaper price, making it lucrative for buyers, said Rajesh Patel, managing partner at edible oil trader and broker GGN Research.
Landed cost of refined bleached deodorized (RBD) palmolein at Mumbai port was around $25 per ton lower than crude palm oil, dealers said.
Industry body Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) is likely to publish its data on December imports by mid-January.
Sunflower oil imports in December more than doubled to stand at 263,000 tons, the highest in 3-months, dealers said. Reuters/ Nasdaq
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EU begins probe into biodiesel imports from China
The European Union will begin an anti-dumping investigation into biodiesel imports from China, which the bloc's industry said has slashed domestic production.
In August, it began investigating whether biodiesel from Indonesia was circumventing EU duties by going through China and Britain.
The latest investigation, Reuters reported, prompted by a complaint from producer group the European Biodiesel Board (EBB), will cover the period from October 1, 2022 to September 30 last year.
The probe will take up to 14 months.
"EU producers have submitted evidence of biodiesel imports from China coming into the EU at artificially low prices and claim that these imports are seriously harming their industry because they cannot compete with such low prices," the European Commission said in a statement.
China has been the biggest biodiesel exporter to the 27-member bloc in 2023, the EBB said in a separate statement.
"In 2023, Chinese dumped imports have caused a collapse in the market and production sites closed in several member states," the EBB added.
In addition to the possible transit of Indonesian biodiesel, there were structural imbalances in biodiesel trade with China, with prices not reflecting the advanced or waste-based biofuel categories that most cargoes have been classified as, it said.
China "firmly opposes protectionist behaviour that abuses trade remedy measures," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting said when asked about the investigation at a regular press conference. Biofuels News
ISPO and EUDR: An Indonesian Perspective
Indonesia, as the largest palm oil producing country in the world, is facing new and significant challenges with the introduction of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). These regulations, designed to limit imports of commodities linked to deforestation, have sparked intense debate and concern among stakeholders across the country. With the palm oil industry being the economic backbone for millions of Indonesians, this response to the EUDR is not only important in the context of international trade but also in maintaining local environmental and socio-economic sustainability.
This article aims to disentangle and understand the complexities of interactions between Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and EUDR, as well as explore the potential for a middle way that can benefit all parties involved. Amid global pressure for more sustainable and transparent practices, Indonesia's position on the EUDR is an important statement about how the country views its sovereignty, sustainable development and rights in the global economy. Indonesia's official stance of not fully complying with the EUDR is not a rejection of the concept of sustainability itself, but rather a reflection of the need for a more inclusive and fair dialogue in global policy making. Through this article, we will dive into the various dimensions of this issue, understand the implications for small farmers, industry, and diplomatic efforts, and identify possible steps to strike a balance between local needs and international demands.
*EUDR Policy and Indonesia's Position* Sawit Indonesia
---------
India's Dec palm oil imports hit 4-month high as sunoil doubles-dealers
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - India's palm oil imports rose in December to their highest in four months as purchases of refined palmolein surged because of competitive prices, five dealers told Reuters on Wednesday.
Higher purchases by the world's biggest importer of vegetable oils could help lower palm oil stocks in top producers Indonesia and Malaysia and support benchmark futures FCPOc3.
India's December palm oil imports rose 1.9% from the previous month to 886,000 metric tons, estimates from dealers showed. Refined palm oil imports in the month surged 47% to 252,000 tons, they said.
The refining margin for crude palm oil was negative for Indian refiners, while exporting countries were offering refined palm oil at a cheaper price, making it lucrative for buyers, said Rajesh Patel, managing partner at edible oil trader and broker GGN Research.
Landed cost of refined bleached deodorized (RBD) palmolein at Mumbai port was around $25 per ton lower than crude palm oil, dealers said.
Industry body Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) is likely to publish its data on December imports by mid-January.
Sunflower oil imports in December more than doubled to stand at 263,000 tons, the highest in 3-months, dealers said. Reuters/ Nasdaq
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EU begins probe into biodiesel imports from China
The European Union will begin an anti-dumping investigation into biodiesel imports from China, which the bloc's industry said has slashed domestic production.
In August, it began investigating whether biodiesel from Indonesia was circumventing EU duties by going through China and Britain.
The latest investigation, Reuters reported, prompted by a complaint from producer group the European Biodiesel Board (EBB), will cover the period from October 1, 2022 to September 30 last year.
The probe will take up to 14 months.
"EU producers have submitted evidence of biodiesel imports from China coming into the EU at artificially low prices and claim that these imports are seriously harming their industry because they cannot compete with such low prices," the European Commission said in a statement.
China has been the biggest biodiesel exporter to the 27-member bloc in 2023, the EBB said in a separate statement.
"In 2023, Chinese dumped imports have caused a collapse in the market and production sites closed in several member states," the EBB added.
In addition to the possible transit of Indonesian biodiesel, there were structural imbalances in biodiesel trade with China, with prices not reflecting the advanced or waste-based biofuel categories that most cargoes have been classified as, it said.
China "firmly opposes protectionist behaviour that abuses trade remedy measures," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting said when asked about the investigation at a regular press conference. Biofuels News
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January 01, 2024
Import duties to open agri sector key to ensure India's food security: GTRI
Maintaining high import duties on sensitive agri commodities like rice and resisting pressure to open up the domestic sector to low tariffs will be crucial for preserving India's self-sufficiency and ensuring food security for its population, a report said on Monday.
Economic think tank GTRI (Global Trade Research Initiative) in its report said that India needs to cut its reliance on imported vegetable oils to promote better health outcomes and also reduce the import bill.
This will need educating consumers about the health benefits of using locally produced oils like mustard, groundnut, and rice bran in lieu of imported oils.
India is the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, with imports estimated to double to $20.8 billion in 2023-24 from $10.8 billion in 2017-18.
It added that the US and EU currently support agriculture by using the latest technology to maximise output, high tariffs (or import duties) to discourage imports and massive subsidies to push exports.
Developed and agri-exporting countries like Australia always push developing countries like India to cut duties and subsidies on agri commodities to push their exports.
India has built a high import tariff wall (30-100 per cent on sensitive items) to check subsided imports. India also does not cut tariffs on sensitive items for even its FTA (free trade agreement) partners.
The report said that this has paid India with self-sufficiency in almost all products. Business Standard
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What's in store for EU-Southeast Asia ties in 2024?
European Parliament elections will be held in early June, triggering possible changes at the top of the European Commission and the European Council.
At present, it remains unclear whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will run for reelection.
Continuity within the EU's executive would augur continuity in its engagement with Southeast Asian countries, which has been on an upward trajectory in recent years.
However, a surge by the far right in the elections or a hung parliament, sparking post-election politicking, could disrupt the EU's foreign policy agenda, analysts have said.
Indonesia elections
In February, some 200 million voters in Indonesia will also head to the polls to vote for a new president and parliament, and their decisions will have ramifications across the region.
"Indonesia is regarded as primus inter pares in [Southeast Asia], thus the outcome of the presidential and parliamentary elections in the largest Muslim country in the world will be closely watched," said Alfred Gerstl, an expert on Indo-Pacific international relations at the University of Vienna.
"A likely positive outcome is that it can be expected the election will be free and fair, proving that democracy works in Southeast Asia," he added.
According to most opinion polls, the front-runner is Prabowo Subianto, the current defense minister and the purported status-quo candidate.
Subianto will put a "stronger emphasis on strengthening Indonesia's defense capabilities but will otherwise likely follow the traditional free-and-active foreign policy credo," said Gerstl. ABS-CBN
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Indonesian Government reveals plan to restore nearly half a million acres of forests — and that figure may increase
In a win for Indonesian forests, government officials recently ruled that 200,000 hectares — nearly half a million acres — of oil palm plantations are expected to be returned to the state and converted back into forests, as Reuters reported, and that figure may increase.
Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil producer and exporter, and the industry changed Southeast Asia when it boomed. The industry has also been accused of corruption, with several big players accused or found guilty of accepting bribes, like the former head of an Indonesian land agency.
However, its prominent role in the country isn’t stopping the Indonesian government from trying to restore some of the damage the industry brought with it as well.
Good News Network reported that a task force has been created by internal security and environmental ministries to look at all of the country’s oil palm plantations, find those that are on protected land, and force them to leave. Yahoo
CSPO Watch January 2024
Import duties to open agri sector key to ensure India's food security: GTRI
Maintaining high import duties on sensitive agri commodities like rice and resisting pressure to open up the domestic sector to low tariffs will be crucial for preserving India's self-sufficiency and ensuring food security for its population, a report said on Monday.
Economic think tank GTRI (Global Trade Research Initiative) in its report said that India needs to cut its reliance on imported vegetable oils to promote better health outcomes and also reduce the import bill.
This will need educating consumers about the health benefits of using locally produced oils like mustard, groundnut, and rice bran in lieu of imported oils.
India is the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, with imports estimated to double to $20.8 billion in 2023-24 from $10.8 billion in 2017-18.
It added that the US and EU currently support agriculture by using the latest technology to maximise output, high tariffs (or import duties) to discourage imports and massive subsidies to push exports.
Developed and agri-exporting countries like Australia always push developing countries like India to cut duties and subsidies on agri commodities to push their exports.
India has built a high import tariff wall (30-100 per cent on sensitive items) to check subsided imports. India also does not cut tariffs on sensitive items for even its FTA (free trade agreement) partners.
The report said that this has paid India with self-sufficiency in almost all products. Business Standard
---------
What's in store for EU-Southeast Asia ties in 2024?
European Parliament elections will be held in early June, triggering possible changes at the top of the European Commission and the European Council.
At present, it remains unclear whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will run for reelection.
Continuity within the EU's executive would augur continuity in its engagement with Southeast Asian countries, which has been on an upward trajectory in recent years.
However, a surge by the far right in the elections or a hung parliament, sparking post-election politicking, could disrupt the EU's foreign policy agenda, analysts have said.
Indonesia elections
In February, some 200 million voters in Indonesia will also head to the polls to vote for a new president and parliament, and their decisions will have ramifications across the region.
"Indonesia is regarded as primus inter pares in [Southeast Asia], thus the outcome of the presidential and parliamentary elections in the largest Muslim country in the world will be closely watched," said Alfred Gerstl, an expert on Indo-Pacific international relations at the University of Vienna.
"A likely positive outcome is that it can be expected the election will be free and fair, proving that democracy works in Southeast Asia," he added.
According to most opinion polls, the front-runner is Prabowo Subianto, the current defense minister and the purported status-quo candidate.
Subianto will put a "stronger emphasis on strengthening Indonesia's defense capabilities but will otherwise likely follow the traditional free-and-active foreign policy credo," said Gerstl. ABS-CBN
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Indonesian Government reveals plan to restore nearly half a million acres of forests — and that figure may increase
In a win for Indonesian forests, government officials recently ruled that 200,000 hectares — nearly half a million acres — of oil palm plantations are expected to be returned to the state and converted back into forests, as Reuters reported, and that figure may increase.
Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil producer and exporter, and the industry changed Southeast Asia when it boomed. The industry has also been accused of corruption, with several big players accused or found guilty of accepting bribes, like the former head of an Indonesian land agency.
However, its prominent role in the country isn’t stopping the Indonesian government from trying to restore some of the damage the industry brought with it as well.
Good News Network reported that a task force has been created by internal security and environmental ministries to look at all of the country’s oil palm plantations, find those that are on protected land, and force them to leave. Yahoo
CSPO Watch January 2024
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