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Indonesia shall not be dictated by Europe over CPO: Agriculture minister
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Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman talks to journalists during a subsidized food bazaar in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Sunday. (thejakartapost.com/Viriya Paramita Singgih)
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griculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has asserted that there is no way for Europe to dictate Indonesia’s agriculture industry in relation to the single sustainable palm oil standard issued by the European Parliament.
The European Parliament issued on April 4 a resolution to only import sustainable palm oil after 2020, which sparked objections from Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s two-biggest crude palm oil (CPO) producers.
“We cannot let Europe dictate Indonesia’s agriculture. We have our own standard called Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil [ISPO],” Amran said during a visit with Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita to Cipinang Market in East Jakarta on Thursday.
Arman said the government was developing convection to biofuel, which needed palm oil material of 3 million tons, a figure that was nearly in line with Indonesia’s palm oil exports to Europe.
“Europe only imports 3.2 million tons [of palm oil] from Indonesia, means that it’s no problem if we don’t export to Europe. We even plan to increase the B-20 to B-30 [20 to 30 percent mix with normal diesel], which requires 13 million tons [of biofuel],” he said.
Besides, Indonesia dominated the international palm oil market with 80,000 tons capacity, Arman said, adding that it had its loyal partners such as Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, India and China in palm trade.
“Those countries don’t have a problem [with ISPO]. It’s France that has been screaming out loud about the problem, while it only imports 200,000 tons [of CPO] from Indonesia per year,” he said. (yon/ags)
