07/05/2012 (Bernama) - Palm oil is safe to be used as biodiesel compared to other vegetable oil and met the Renewable Fuel Standard in the United States, said a researcher from the Bogor Agricultural Institute.

Responding to a statement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Jan 27 that oil palm is only able to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 17 per cent, Prof Budi Indra Setiawan said the assumptions and data used by EPA should be reviewed.

EPA has set a carbon emission reduction requirement for oil palm to at least 20 per cent to enable it to be used as raw biofuel in the United States.

Indra Setiawan said 55 per cent of land allocated for oil palm plantations was made up of non-forest land and only a small percentage originated from primary forest.