REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANILA -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla conveyed that Indonesian government is attempting to make the crude palm oil (CPO) as environmental goods, at a meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015 in Manila, Philippines. Kalla said, CPO is a commodity that can support lives of million citizens.

"We propose that the palm and rubber can be a part of environmental goods. It means, it becomes a commodity that supports the lives of millions of people," Kalla added, in Manila, Philippines, Thursday (19/11).

Earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, stated that in this international economic forum, Indonesian government sought to achieve national interest, one of them is to make Indonesian commodities as environmentally friendly products.

According to her, this effort requires a long process and the government will continue working on it until an agreement is reached. In the APEC Summit 2015, Retno added, Indonesia will propose five products to become environmentally friendly products, namely palm oil, natural rubber, rattan, paper, and fisheries.

"There are two main issues related to the CPO, regarding its sustainability and health. Moreover, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to form Council of Palm Oil Producer Countries (CPOP)," Retno explained.

The establishment of this council was done to prepare the palm oil industry standards that will be applied globally. Thus, it can improve the welfare of palm oil farmers.

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