Indonesian President Hopes Malaysia will Join Fight Against Oil Palm Discrimination

A report from Antara, in Jakarta has said Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is hoping for a commitment from the Malaysian government on fighting the discrimination against palm oil commodities in the global market.  He made the statement at a joint press conference after meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta last week on Friday. The struggle against oil palm discrimination in the global market would be bolstered if Malaysia backs it, he added.

Earlier, Indonesia had lodged a protest with the European Union on the proposed regulations under the Renewable Energy Directives II (RED II), which are believed to discriminate against palm oil. Indonesia said it is ready to sue the European Union at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to protest the discriminatory measure. Under RED II, the European Union has designated oil palm as a high-risk crop driving deforestation and plans to limit and gradually eliminate the use of crude palm oil (CPO) as a biodiesel

The European Union is one of the largest markets for Indonesian palm oil exports, with a market share of 12 percent. Other large markets for Indonesian palm oil are China (18 percent), India (18 percent), and Pakistan (8 percent).