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Asian Palm Oil Alliance & Council for Palm Oil Producing Countries to build stable & sustainable palm oil supply chain
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Saturday, 27 September, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA), the Council for Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), and Solidaridad announced a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to deepen producer and consumer collaboration and accelerate sustainability across the palm oil value chain. Signed in Mumbai, the MOU creates a formal platform to harmonise approaches, address market volatility and strengthen inclusion of smallholders, with a special focus on India and South Asia.
Atul Chaturvedi, Chairman, Asian Palm Oil Alliance, said “At a time when food security and price stability are front of mind for families and businesses across South Asia, this partnership gives producers and consumers a formal table to strengthen collaboration and foster mutual understanding in addressing shared challenges.”
Under this MoU, with CPOPC serving as a catalyst and advocate for sustainable palm oil, the Parties will pursue practical alignment and mutual recognition among national sustainability frameworks including Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Indian Palm Oil Sustainability (IPOS) Framework while fully respecting each country’s laws and regulatory competencies. The collaboration also prioritises regenerative practices.
To strengthen stability and predictability of supply for more than 1.5 billion consumers in South Asia, the Parties will promote traceable, smallholder-inclusive and NDPE-compliant (No Deforestation, No Peat, and No Exploitation) sourcing, with pilots that use Solidaridad’s SoliTrace traceability tool and complementary remote-sensing tools to enable mill-to-market visibility. The MoU also provides for importer-facing dashboards tailored to Indian buyers. The parties also agreed to create a joint working group co-chaired by APOA and CPOPC, with Solidaridad as the Technical Secretariat. The group will oversee workplans, monitor progress and co-ordinate joint communications and advocacy efforts.
Dr B. V. Mehta, executive director, Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, said, “By working with producing countries, we can build informed awareness that encourages responsible choices and strengthens health outcomes, economic resilience and environmental stewardship. This initiative will help Indian and South Asian consumers to have a clear, evidence- based information on palm oil’s nutritional profile, its role in keeping edible oils affordable, and the progress producers are making to protect forests and support smallholders.”
Izzana Salleh, secretary general of CPOPC, said, “This collaboration signals our collective commitment to a responsible palm oil production and consumption for a long-term market confidence. CPOPC bridges the gap between producers and consumer markets by upholding fair-trade principles and evidence-based dialogue. We call for alignment with nationally mandated sustainability frameworks and guarantee that smallholders’ livelihoods remain integral to every solution.”
Dr Shatadru Chattopadhayay, managing director, Solidaridad Asia, said, “Consumers in India and across South Asia deserve edible oils that are affordable, traceable and responsibly produced. Our role is to ensure that sustainability is practical for producers and meaningful for buyers. By bringing credible data, smallholder support and market insight to this partnership, we will help build confidence across the supply chain and deliver benefits that reach farmers and consumers alike.”
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