Indonesia and Malaysia Agree on the Establishment of CPOP

President Jokowi accompanied by First Lady Iriana and PM of Malaysia Dato Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansur, talking at Bogor Palace, West Java, on Sunday (11/10)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) accompanied by First Lady Iriana received the visit of the Malaysian government delegation led by Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato ‘Sri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansur in Bogor Presidential Palace, Sunday (11/10).

The meeting was held in a friendship atmosphere, which preceded by a lunch together. “In this meeting have been decided some agreements,” President Jokowi said, upon delivering a joint statement.

According to the President Jokowi, both governments (Indonesia and Malaysia) have agreed on the establishment of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOP). “Because we know 85 percent of palm oil production is in Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.

The heads of both Governments also agreed to create a New Global Standard Sustainable Palm Oil Production. New Global Standard is the result of harmonization between the Malaysia standard and Indonesia standard that will become the new international standards in the field of the world’s palm oil industry.

Harmonization of these new standards will be an environmentally friendly standard and are expected to provide welfare to 4 million oil palm farmers in Indonesia and 500 thousand oil palm farmers in Malaysia,” President Jokowi said.

Both countries, President Jokowi continued, also agreed to establish a Green Economic Zone (GEZ). “We will build an industrial area that is associated with oil palm, which increases the added value and also want to produce environmentally friendly fuels,” he said.

The heads of both Governments also agreed to form a Joint Task Force to coordinate and accelerate the implementation of the decisions that have been agreed by both governments.

“This is a very historic initiative for the palm oil industry, and we expect the benefit to the majority of smallholder palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia,” President Jokowi said.

While Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that the embodiment of cooperation in the field of palm oil is the formal and concrete, although have long been discussed. “In fact, since 2006 there has been an agreement, but cannot be realized,” Najib said.

When receiving the visit of Prime Minister of Malaysia, President Jokowi were accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Rizal Ramli, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Industry Saleh Husin and Chief Staff of the Presidential Teten Masduki . (TKP/ES)/Sy.