Widodo: Indonesia, Malaysia Must Collaborate on Palm Oil

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have pledged to work together to combat the European Union’s ban on palm oil. The two leaders, whose countries are the world’s top producers and exporters of palm oil, have expressed concern over the EU’s decision to ban imports of commodities linked to deforestation, which is expected to have a negative impact on palm oil exports. They have called for better collaboration to prevent discrimination against their countries’ palm oil products. In a joint statement, they promised to cooperate closely to address the EU’s “highly detrimental discriminatory measures against palm oil” and urged the EU to work towards a fair and equitable resolution. The leaders also agreed to establish a framework for protecting migrant workers’ rights, as many Indonesians work in Malaysian palm oil plantations.