JAKARTA – Palm oil is the main raw material to produce cooking oil in Indonesia. But actually, it can be also used as raw material to produce a variety of other products, which include red palm cooking oil as an alternative to the popular cooking oil produced by the big factories.

The Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (PPKS) Chairman M Edwin Syahputra Lubis said that his institution has managed to produce an innovative product, known as red palm cooking oil, from the crude palm oil (CPO) which is expected to help solve the problem of supply shortage of cooking oil and to tackle the problem of stunting among children.

He said that the innovative product has higher content of phytonutrients (carotene and vitamin E) and higher quality of fatty acid, which are good for human health.

“The red cooking oil can also stand as a food solution to tackle the problem of stunting in Indonesia as it has higher contents of vitamins compared to the conventional cooking oil,” Edwin was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the ministry of cooperatives and small and medium enterprises on Friday, 10 June 2022.

Meanwhile, North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi said that with the innovative red cooking oil, the smallholders will not only rely on the conventional cooking oil factories to sell their fresh fruit bunches (FFB).

“Usually, the smallholders take their FFB to the conventional factories. Now, by preparing simple facilities we can collect their FFB and produce red cooking oil. That way we can help the government in solving the supply problem of cooking oil in the domestic market,” the governor said.

Governor Edy said the provincial government of North Sumatra will convene a meeting to discuss about how to produce the red cooking oil in North Sumatra province.

Commenting on the issue, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister (MenKopUKM) Teten Masduki has stated that the government is now pushing the cooperatives to accelerate the development of factories that will produce the red cooking oil. Such program will help solve the problem of cooking oil supply shortage and prices at domestic market, and potential to create added value for oil palm smallholders.

“The red cooking oil is healthier and has more health benefits. It will also solve the problem of supply shortage that had recently sent prices high, and provide cooking oil at affordable prices among the general public,” Minister Teten said.

Source: sindonews.com