Palm Oil Industry Continues Operations During COVID-19 Outbreak
Indonesian palm oil industry continues production during COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the needs of palm oil products for domestic and export market are met during this time.
JAKARTA—Indonesian palm oil industry continues production during COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the needs of palm oil products for domestic and export market are met during this time.
Domestic supply is mainly to meet people’s need for vegetable oils and to meet demand for surfactants which are the key material to produce glycerine and soap. Glycerine is the material to produce hand sanitizer which has become a scarce commodity during COVID-19 outbreak.
“We keep working on priority acitivities in palm oil production both in refineries and plantations. We implement safety measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19 such as maintaining a safe distance between people,” Executive Director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) Mukti Sardjono said in press release, (21/4/2020).
Gapki recorded that palm oil domestic consumption in February 2020 rose 50,000 tons to 1.52 million tons from 1.47 million tons in previous month. The biggest demand was for biodiesel that reached 70.000 tons, while for foods decreased 15.000 tons.
Mukti estimated consumption in the country will increase in the next two or three months following the potential increase in the activity of cooking oil industry, margarine, biscuits to meet the demand during fasting month and Eid al-Fitr feast. ***
