Indonesia’s palm oil export ban announced earlier this month has left the door open for Malaysia to swoop in and expand its market share – but this will very much depend on contract timings and labour viability, say industry experts.
Palm oil industry experts have warned that the European Union’s (EU) latest proposed regulations on deforestation carry major risk of upsetting Indonesia amidst ongoing free-trade negotiations.
The Indonesian palm oil sector has urged the European Union to ensure that its final regulatory approach to imported commodities does not discriminate against palm oil, warning that efforts to replace it as an ingredient could lead to even ‘bigger problems’...
Indonesia’s representative palm oil body GAPKI is concerned that it may not be able to produce enough of the commodity this year, given that added demand is expected as economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesia has called on the United Kingdom to implement equivalent regulations for rapeseed oil as stipulated in the the Due Diligence policy it is looking to apply to palm oil, in order to achieve proper ‘mutual recognition’ of each other’s regulatory...
General Mills is collaborating with Musim Mas Group to launch a programme designed to integrate independent smallholders from villages neighbouring the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh Singkil into the sustainable palm oil supply chain to reduce deforestation...
African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to cut a path through Asia, with Indonesia the latest country in the region to have a confirmed case of the disease.
Indonesia’s recent banning of products carrying ‘Palm Oil Free’ labels has received a positive response from the local industry, while MNCs Nestle and PepsiCo have reiterated their commitment to use of RSPO-certified palm oil.
Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are the latest countries to adopt the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP), bringing the number of countries using the label to 20.
PepsiCo has voiced its 'disappointment' in Indonesian food giant Indofood's decision to withdraw from the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification scheme ‘with immediate effect’. Indofood had cited ‘extreme disappointment’...
Nestlé announced it closed its joint venture with the Indofood Group last month, while PepsiCo reiterated its stance to not source palm oil – either directly or indirectly – from the company and its subsidiaries, purportedly linked to deforestation and...
Haze from slash-and-burn agricultural has returned to Southeast Asia this year. Is it enough to wait for regulators to bring the (mainly palm oil) culprits to justice? Asian resource legal experts Rick Beckmann and Kresna Panggabean enter the storm.
Greenpeace activists are blocking palm oil imports from Malaysian trader IOI at Rotterdam harbour in protest at the firm's involvement in forest destruction, peatland fires and use of child labour.
After less than two years in existence, the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge has disbanded to the dismay of environmentalists who say its member companies were bullied by the Indonesian government into adopting weaker standards.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will publish maps of all its members’ palm oil plantations – with the exception of Malaysia – in the hope closer monitoring will prevent forest fires and peat land destruction. But is this enough?
The Norwegian national investment fund has cut ties with four major Asian companies, citing the risk of ‘severe environmental damage’ as a result of palm oil plantations.
By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn, reporting from Indonesia
Indonesia has ambitious plans to add value to its seaweed industry – but its success could depend on the outcome of an ongoing tug-of-war between industry and government.
An Indonesian canned fish producer is aiming to make its entry into the Middle East food market, as Indonesia’s government aims to bolster its national fishing industry.
The Malaysian government has launched its own sustainable palm oil certification standard – but will this add to or detract from sustainability and transparency efforts in the sector?
Indonesia plans to process half of its seaweed domestically by 2020, meaning the carrageenan supply chain could see massive geographic diversions in the future.
By Rick Beckmann, senior foreign legal counsel, and Aldi Rakhmatillah, associate, of Susandarini & Partners, in association with Norton Rose Fulbright Australia
How should Indonesia and, more to the point, the local community, benefit from foreign investment in plantations?
Rain dragged down profit forecasts for New Britain Palm Oil (NBPO), damaging crops in Papua New Guinea, according to Phil Carroll, analyst at Shore Capital.
The US Trade Representative (USTR) has joined forces with the European Union (EU) to press Indonesia to simplify its licensing for meat and livestock imports.
Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) has reached a “milestone” with production in excess of six million tonnes but market uptake has been slowing, according to RSPO figures.
Dairy group Friesland Campina has welcomed the call from a Dutch trade group to end the European import levy on sustainably produced palm oil and claims it could encourage greater uptake among brand owners.
A Cargill palm oil plantation in Indonesia has received a sustainability mark, after the smallholder scheme obtained an RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification.
Quality and supply problems stand in the way of buying palm oil entirely from certified sustainable sources, according to Nutella manufacturer Ferrero.
The FAO says the fast growth in sea cucumber fishing to meet global demand is putting pressure on stocks, and management plans are urgently needed to protect economies of coastal communities.
Friesland Foods, the Dutch dairy group, is to expand its
ingredients operations in Indonesia through the acquisition of a
number of assets from a local rival - a move that will allow the
group to grow its business there at a fraction...
Belgian retailer Delhaize is considering the sale of its stake in
Singapore's Stop N Save chain after receiving an offer from an
unnamed bidder. Could this be Delhaize's solution to the problem of
reducing its massive debt...
Indonesia's ambition to become the world's largest cocoa producer
by 2010 could wreak havoc on the global market, even if its beans
do not make it into the top grade, analysts said.
PT Unilever Indonesia plans to invest an estimated $500 million
(€512m) in the next 10 years in Indonesia, an official with its
parent company said Wednesday, Dow Jones reports.