The Indonesian Association of Palm Oil Producers (GAPKI) on Wednesday (13/3) cited the result of a 2015 research by Mathews and Ardiyanto as showing that the use of palm oil-based biodiesel could reduce the glasshouse gas emission by more than 60 percent.
The information is shown as an infographic uploaded on its official website, GAPKI also added that even according to the European Commission palm oil-based biodiesel, if produced with the methane capture method could reduce the emission by up to 62 percent.
In comparison, the results of a study issued by the European Commission Joint Report center reveal that sunflower-based biofuel could cut the emission by up to 58 percent, while fuel based on rapeseed and soybean could bring down the greenhouse gas emission by 45 and 40 percent respectively.
The European Commission, arguing that palm oil cultivation results in deforestation, has decided to phase out palm oil-based biodiesel for transportation within its territory. The move has been strongly criticized as discriminatory by producing countries, and Indonesia has said it will take the issue to the World Trade Organization.
“Oil palm involves almost 17 million people and decreases the ratio. With this prohibition, you are not consistent with the reduction of poverty and SDGs. We also feed our people, so don’t just think about the orangutans, “said Maritime Coordinating Minister Luhut Pandjaitan when asked for comments regarding the decision of the European Union Commission.
In a separate infographic also uploaded on Wednesday, GAPKI cited statistics from Oil World Statistics 2017 that showed that although palm oil plantation occupied the smallest amount of land compared to other oil-producing crops, its oil production was the highest.
The infographics also said that palm oil plantation covered 16 million hectares areas in the world, compared to 25 million hectares for sunflowers, 122 million hectares for soybeans and 36 million hectares for rapeseed.
But total annual palm oil production reached 65 million tons while sunflower oil production stood at 15.9 million tons, soybeans 45.8 million tons and rapeseed 25.8 million tons.