TheJakartaPost
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Palm oil diplomacy needed
Palm oil is currently one of the main priorities of Indonesia’s economic diplomacy.
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Palm oil is currently one of the main priorities of Indonesia’s economic diplomacy.
(Shutterstock/File)
Palm oil is currently one of the main priorities of Indonesia’s economic diplomacy.
In his first meeting with foreign leaders, including then-United States president Barack Obama and European Council president Herman Van Rompuy, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo strongly lobbied for the removal of import barriers to palm oil.
In the ASEAN-European Union Commemorative Summit on Nov. 14, 2017, Jokowi again asked for the elimination of discrimination against palm oil. Indonesia also built alliances with other palm oil producers by establishing the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries to support diplomatic efforts to protect palm oil against “trade war”.
One would argue that this development was natural because of the strategic value of oil palms for Indonesia. According to 2018 data from the Agriculture Ministry, palm oil accounts for about 12 percent of Indonesia’s exports by value.
