The Jakarta Post, 17 July 2018
Indonesia has signed an agreement with India to promote the use of sustainable palm oil in a bid to counter the negative campaigning against the commodity. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on sustainable palm oil production involving the Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI), Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) of India and international solution-oriented society Solidaridad Network Asia was signed on Monday. The MoU recognizes both countries’ sustainable palm oil frameworks — the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and the Indian Palm Oil Sustainability Framework (IPOS). Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said the MoU was intended to boost palm oil promotion in the two countries and was a follow up to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Indonesia. Because of the low price, consumers in India view palm oil as a low-quality commodity. But it’s not true because palm oil yields are three to four times higher than other vegetable oils, thus palm oil is sold at a lower price, Darmin said.