KUALA LUMPUR  — The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) together with industry players from Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to contribute 102,000 germinated oil palm seedlings (GS) to Honduras.

This donation follows a request from the Secretary of State in Dispatch of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras (SAG) to the secretary general of CPOPC following the disaster of typhoons Eta and Iota that hit Honduras in November 2020.

The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities said in a statement on Monday, 20 March 2023, that CPOPC and Indonesian industry players contributed 20,000 and 62,000 GS respectively, while Malaysia through Minamas Plantation contributed 20,000 GS.

“This donation is expected to help small oil palm planters in Honduras to recover after being affected by the hurricane disaster.

“The GS delivery process is carried out by air from Jakarta, Indonesia and is expected to land in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on March 27,” said the ministry.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantations and Commodities, who is also the CPOPC chairman, Fadillah Yusof said this donation symbolizes close cooperation between palm oil producing countries.

This contribution is a recognition of Honduras which has finalized the accession process and is expected to become the third full member of the CPOPC in May 2023.

“This effort is also expected to help strengthen relations among CPOPC member countries,” he added.

CPOPC Secretary General Rizal Affandi Lukman has announced that 337 farmers in Honduras will receive assistance to plant seedlings on 510 hectares of the 4,988 hectares of oil Palm plantations that were destroyed by Eta and Iota hurricanes in November 2020.

Indonesia and Malaysia are the only two countries that are members of the CPOPC, while Colombia, Ghana, and Papua New Guinea are observers. The assistance for Honduran farmers is part of the organizations ongoing efforts to provide aid to those affected by natural disasters. (*)

(Source: Bernama/oananews.org/chemanalyst.com)