Indonesia and Malaysia begin joint campaign in Europe to counter palm oil critics

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The world's largest palm oil producers – Indonesia and Malaysia – plan to launch a joint campaign in Europe to counter criticism of their product, according to a report by Reuters on January 19th.

Both countries have sent out a request for proposals to hire a law firm to run a campaign in Europe this year through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) platform, three sources familiar with the matter were quoted as saying.

Europe was the third-largest market for palm oil and increasingly strict regulations threatened sales, according to the Reuters .

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Palm oil producers have been accused of clearing vast areas of biodiversity-rich rainforests in Southeast Asia and exploiting migrant workers, the agency said. Reuters . This year, the European Union (EU) was due to discuss legislation on deforestation and sustainable food systems – as part of the European Green Deal – that could restrict the use of palm oil in food and fuel.

The CPOPC intended to launch the campaign to change perceptions about palm oil in the UK and other EU countries, although the plans had not been finalized and were subject to discussions among producers, the sources said. The CPOPC, however, was not available for immediate comment, said the Reuters .

EU palm oil imports in the 2020/21 season are forecast to fall to their lowest level in a decade at 6.7 million tonnes, a drop of 8% on the previous season, according to data from the Department of Agriculture of the United States (USDA).

This text was automatically translated from English.

Source: Oils & Fats International (OFI)