The world’s biggest palm oil producer, Indonesia, has asked the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish a panel to examine the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), which it claims discriminates against biofuels produced from palm oil. EU member states must transpose the RED II into national law by 30…
Jakarta – Indonesian palm oil company, PT Astra Agro Lestari, has recorded positive operational and financial performance amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has posed economic challenges worldwide. In a statement received in Jakarta on Friday, the company informed that operations at its palm oil plantations and mills are running normally, with the application of…
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…
MUMBAI: India on Monday said imports of refined palm oil could recommence after being restricted in January, although with conditions attached. The world’s biggest importer of palm oil on Monday said in a statement that importers would need to furnish pre-purchase agreements and import the commodity within six months of receiving the licence, instead of…
Palm oil prices are expected to decrease slightly from its current levels over the next three to six months due to fall in demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Although palm oil supply is also being negatively impacted by government containment measures as plantation operations are being disrupted which could support prices in the very…
Malaysia and the European Union share a long history and strong trade ties. The European Union is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner and is its largest source of foreign direct investment, and Malaysia is a major exporter of raw materials to the European Union. But politics over palm oil threaten their relationship. Malaysia is the world’s…
KUALA LUMPUR: Synthetic palm oil does not contain vitamins A and E compared to natural palm oil rich with these nutritional values, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) said in a statement yesterday. Its director-general Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said the raw materials used to produce synthetic palm oil may not be from original…
Indonesia’s palm oil exports to China have plummeted by half in volume amid global uncertainties, an industry source has said. The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI) said in a statement on Tuesday that China’s export volume fell by 381,000 tons or 57 percent. This contributed to the sharp drop in the country’s total palm…
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar stressed that Indonesia could not accept the European Union (EU) energy policy which blamed biofuel from palm oil as a cause of deforestation, describing it as discriminatory. Mahendra considered the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and the Derivative Act released by the EU as a major challenge…
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are to visit Indonesia from March 10 to 13 at the invitation of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. In the lead-up to the state visit, the Dutch Foreign Ministry recently invited The Jakarta Post’s Yuliasri Perdani and several other Indonesian journalists to the Netherlands to talk with Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Stef Blok about the…
With new regulatory changes now taking place on the basis of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) II of 2018, Indonesia and Malaysia are trying to come to terms with the implications for their global palm oil market strategy and domestic production. They are mobilising intra-regional support from ASEAN and its members and even considering…