TEMPO.CO, Kuala Lumpur - The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs of Indonesia, Dr Rizal Ramli, and the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, the Honorable Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, signed the Charter of the Establishment of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) in Kuala Lumpur.
This event was witnessed by the Honorable Datuk Sri Muhammad Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
CPOPC is aimed at promoting, developing, and strengthening cooperation in the oil palm industry among the member countries. This will ensure that the palm oil industry contributes to the economic development and well-being of the people.
Indonesia and Malaysia will be the founding members of the council. The membership of the council will be extended to all oil palm cultivating countries. These countries are Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Uganda.
In support of the initial operations of the CPOPC, Indonesia and Malaysia respectively contribute an initial sum of USD5 Million. The Secretariat of CPOPC will be located in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Today, both ministers declared the proposed Global Framework of Principles for Sustainable Palm Oil named e+POP. This e+POP has nine principles which take into account the laws and regulations related to sustainable development. It will be benchmarked against other international standards.
These principles will be further elaborated. Consultation will also be done with all the stakeholders. e+POP will further strengthen the image and promote the positive attributes of palm oil.
TEMPO | PGB