Five Palm Oil Importing Countries Form Industry Alliance

The apex edible oil industry associations from five major palm oil importing countries in Asia namely, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, have come together for the first time to form an alliance, the Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA). APOA commits to work worldwide to ensure that palm oil is recognized as a high-quality, economical, and healthy vegetable oil, and to change the negative image of palm oil, a statement by India’s edible oil industry body The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) said on September 22.

In the coming year, membership would be further expanded to include other select companies or industry organization operating in the production of refining of palm oil across the continent. The statement said that the secretariat of the APOA would initially be managed by the SEA.  Atul Chaturvedi, SEA president was elected as the first chairman of APOA during the first meeting of the Alliance.  The next meeting of APOA is expected to be held in Indonesia early next year, the statement added.