Indonesia, India Trade Groups Slam Attacks On Palm Oil

NEW DELHI, March 27 (Bernama) -- Indonesian and Indian trade bodies on Tuesday have criticised attacks by certain quarters on palm oil on the pretext of sustainability. The Indonesian Palm Oil Board, Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) of India and Solidaridad Network in a joint statement today expressed their concern on the move to single out palm oil among all other edible oils on sustainability issues. The world's top palm oil producers, Indonesia and Malaysia, are indignant over a campaign by some European Union members against the commodity alleging that the expansion of plantation land caused illegal logging and deforestation. Without specifically naming the bloc, the trade groups vowed to counter the negative publicity aimed at tarnishing the image of palm oil globally. They also proposed to develop the concept of an International Palm Oil Day and boost India-Indonesia palm oil trade. India relies heavily on palm oil imports to meet its domestic edible oil demand. According to data from the SEA, Indian importers bought 497,655 tonnes of crude palm oil and 241,101 tonnes of refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palm olein in February. -- BERNAMA