Palm oil producers staged protests last week in the center of the capital Jakarta and several towns, complaining that the prices for palm oil fruits had dropped dramatically. Oil Palm Farmers Association Chairman Gulat Manurung thanked Widodo, saying oil palm farmers would repay his decision by boosting domestic supplies. "We, oil palm farmers, pledge to help ensure that domestic supplies of cooking oil will be available," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in Indonesia and, despite being the world's biggest producer, the country has been facing a cooking oil shortage for months because of poor regulation and producers reluctant to sell at home. Indonesia produces about 60 percent of the world's palm oil, with one-third consumed by its domestic market.

Source: Manila Times May 20, 2022 09:56 UTC