Publicly listed palm oil company PT Astra Agro Lestari announced Wednesday that it would spend 45 percent of last year’s profit, around Rp 94.95 billion (US$6.76 million) in dividends, rewarding its shareholders despite declining productivity. The company, which is a subsidiary of diversified conglomerate PT Astra International, will pay a lower dividend per share of…
Hong Wai Onn explains how enzyme technology could make the industry greener and more efficient GIVEN the extensive list of challenges currently facing the world, some of which are food supply, energy, and the environment, there is a limited number of engineers readily available to address these challenges. So where could chemical engineering talent best…
The sustainable palm oil advocate’s latest campaign aims to encourage manufacturers and retailers to be open about their palm oil use. Unless more shoppers are aware of sustainable palm oil, brands will be hesitant to highlight sustainable palm oil logos, Palm Done Right spokesperson Monique van Wijnbergen tells FoodNavigator. Palm Done Right is calling on…
Although proven to be the most effective vegetable oil and the only one with a strict sustainability certification, Palm oil has increasingly been the target of intensive campaigns to revile it and an Indonesian diplomat is calling on producers to now change gear from being merely reactive to proactively engage in counter campaigns. “This is…
Palm oil is often associated with tropical deforestation above all else. However, this is only one side of the story, as agricultural scientists from the University of Göttingen and the IPB University Bogor (Indonesia) show in a new study. The rapid expansion of oil palm has also contributed considerably to economic growth and poverty reduction…
The benchmark palm oil contract for August delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange closed up 61 ringgit, or 2.92%, at 2,150 ringgit ($492.44) per tonne, the highest since April 21. Indonesia, the world’s biggest palm producer, is set to distribute $2.78 trillion rupiah ($187 million) for its B30 biodiesel programme and increase its palm…
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has criticised the World Health Organisation for advising adults to avoid palm oil in their diet during the Covid-19 outbreak and use alternatives such as olive oil. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said in a recent advisory during the Covid-19-outbreak that people should consume unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, nuts,…
Jakarta. A study shows that unprocessed red palm oil helps to maintain lung immunity and respiratory health, strengthening’s one’s body defenses against the coronavirus that is causing the Covid-19 disease. The product, also known as virgin red palm oil, can help maintain an adequate amount of a substance crucial for the body’s immune system. Sri…
HANOI, VNA – Indonesia’ palm oil exports and its derivatives dropped to 4.93 million tonnes in the first two months of 2020 from 6.6 million tonnes in the same period last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI) said on April 21. The GAPKI’s data show that the…
I READ a few news reports in a couple of international media recently about a startup based in New York that is ready to go big in producing synthetic palm oil as an alternative to natural palm oil. The company uses microbes to convert food waste and industrial byproducts into synthetic palm oil through a…
