TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The governments of Indonesia and Ghana have agreed to cooperate against the negative campaign on palm oil.

"I have met the vice minister of agriculture and food of Ghana. We discussed a lot of negative campaigns against oil palm. The palm oil-producing countries should unite against the negative campaigns," Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi stated on Wednesday, April 11.

She met the Vice Minister of Agriculture and Food of Ghana Kennedy, Osei Nyarko, at the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) at Nusa Dua Bali Convention Center.

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Indonesia and Ghana are among the countries that produce the palm oil. Minister Retno added that the Ghana government has expressed willingness to jointly face the challenges of the negative campaign. "Ghana has expressed its readiness to cooperate with Indonesia in order to handle the negative campaigns against oil palm industry," she said.

Additionally, Indonesia has also invited Ghana to join the association of palm oil-producing countries, Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), which was established on the initiative of Indonesia.

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"The government of Ghana must consider their participation in CPOPC. There are already some Indonesian palm oil companies in Ghana. Ghana has asked Indonesia to help the development of its palm oil industry," the foreign minister remarked.

Some negative campaigns against palm oil have occurred in EU countries, where a resolution entitled "Palm Oil and Deforestation of the Rain Forest" was proposed by the European Parliament on the basis that the development of the palm oil industry has become the major cause of deforestation and weather changes.

The action is considered contrary to the stance of the EU that embraces the principle of fair trade.

ANTARA