JAKARTA – Indonesia exported a total of 37.3 million tons of palm oil in 2020, making it the largest exporter of palm oil in the world.
“We’ve reached the first rank as an exporter of palm oil,” the industry ministry’s Forestry and Plantation Products Director Emil Satria said during a public discussion in Jakarta on Monday, 07 June 2021.
He said that the world’s second largest exporter of palm oil last year was Malaysia with a total export of 19.3 million tons, followed by Thailand with a total export of 3.1 million tons, Colombia at 1.7 million tons and Nigeria at 1.1 million tons.
He pointed out that Indonesia commands a market share of 55 percent at the global palm oil market, followed by Malaysia at 28 percent, Thailand 5.0 percent, Colombia 2.0 percent, and Nigeria 1.0 percent.
According to Emil, the whole industry of palm oil in Indonesia, from upstream to downstream, directly employs a total of 4.2 million workers and indirectly 12 million workers.
Emil noted that considering the important role of the palm oil industry in the national economy, the Indonesian government has been continually trying to develop all aspects of the industry, including its sustainability. That is why it is committed to accelerating the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification for the oil palm plantation companies and growers. “ISPO certification is part of our commitment to ensure the sustainability of palm oil products amid the negative campaigns launched by certain groups at the global market,” he said.
Based on data from the agriculture ministry, until the end of 2020, a total of 755 ISPO certificates had been issued for the oil palm plantation companies in Indonesia. The 755 ISPO certificates consist of 735 certificates for private companies and state-owned companies under PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN), and the other 20 ISPO certificates for smallholders. (*)
Source: TEMPO.CO | Featured image via palmoilmagazine