Protests over price jump: Indonesia plans to ban palm oil exports

Protests over price jump
Indonesia plans to ban palm oil exports

Whether in soap, chocolate or animal feed: Palm oil is a popular raw material that can be found in many products. While the prices for cooking oil are rising worldwide as a result of the Ukraine war, protests are already taking place in Indonesia. Now the country is taking action.

With an export ban on palm oil, Indonesia, as the world’s largest producer of the coveted vegetable raw material, wants to combat shortages and rising prices in its own country. The export ban should come into force next Thursday, President Joko Widodo announced late Friday evening. When the market in the country has stabilized and cooking oil is available again at affordable prices, he will reassess the decision, he added.

The price of edible oil has recently increased significantly worldwide due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of sunflower oil. Due to scarce stocks, the price of cooking oil has also risen sharply in Indonesia in recent months. This sparked protests that threatened to destabilize the government of the island nation of around 270 million people.

Criticism of export ban

Economist Bhima Yudhistira, director of the Jakarta-based Center for Economic and Legal Affairs, criticized the decision and warned of protests from importing countries. There is no need to stop exports altogether. Rather, the government must enforce a regulation according to which exporters have to sell 20 percent of their production on the domestic market.

MP Deddy Sitorus from the ruling PDI-P party also warned that the export ban could jeopardize the future of smallholders and medium-sized palm oil companies in the country. The red-brownish palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the oil palm. There is also palm kernel oil from the seed of the fruit.

Palm oil is mainly used in Asia for frying and frying. However, it is also found in numerous foods, for example in margarine, chocolate, spreads containing cocoa, ice cream, baked goods, pizzas and other convenience products. Palm oil is also mixed into animal feed and detergents, soaps, cosmetics, candles and lubricants are high in palm oil. The raw material is also used for biofuel. Indonesia has been criticized for destroying its rainforest for palm oil cultivation.

source site-32