InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - For the next years, China would play the central roles to develop sustainable palm oil industries. Some new implemented policies showed its serious commitment to manage environmental impacts and escalate the governance in this sector.
Lin Hui, Associate Professor, Institute of Science and Development Chinese Academy of Sciences said, one major point to notice is the big impact from China in the international trade-scale namely as one biggest trash disposer in the world. product consumption, including palm oil has escalated the awareness about environmental issues. China gets more focus in palm oil and same product - market transformation to support sustainable trade in the globe.
“This reflects the commitment of China to take participation in global action in association with climate and tropical commodities, such as, palm oil. China would play central roles in the agenda,” Lin Hui said when speaking in a session of Roundtable Meeting RSPO (RT2023) with the theme "Shaping The Next 20: Synergizing Policies and Strategies for Sustainable Palm Oil" in Jakarta by the late of November 2023 that InfoSAWIT attended.
He also told that it is significant to notice that the policies delivered consequences positively in sustainable palm oil use in the country. Since RSPO Secretariat representative was established in China in 2015, the numbers of RSPO members in the country significantly escalated. In 2023, more than 300 RSPO members actively played roles in China, consumed almost 50 tons sustainable palm oil, and covered almost eight percent of the total import volume.
It needs to carefully notice the challenges and opportunities to face the future of sustainable development. Developing collaborative governance for producers, consumers, and sustainable production investment would be the keys. “The policies should be led to environment security and trade – off among the goals, particularly in Malaysia and other countries in the world, that would need special attention,” he said.
It is significant to get good balance between the production and environment. The digital technology implementation in supply chain and accurate and scientific data use would be the solution to escalate sustainable palm oil trainings and minimize the negative impacts.
Then China would get the opportunity to lead the changes in palm oil industries heading to more sustainable practices. “With the right policy and collaboration among stakeholders, the future of (sustainable) palm oil in China would be successful stories that deliver long term – advantages for the people and environment,” Lin Hui said. (T2)
