Indonesia, Malaysia send aid of 100,000 oil palm seedlings to Honduras
21.03.2023 (Antara) - Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Malaysia have donated 100 thousand germinated oil palm seedlings to help hundreds of Honduran farmers affected by the 2020 hurricanes, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said.
"This initiative shows our commitment to collaboration and solidarity among palm oil-producing countries," he said in a statement released on Monday.
The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia have sent 20 thousand seedlings through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), an intergovernmental organization for palm oil-producing countries.
In addition, Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil business players have donated 62 thousand and 20 thousand seedlings, respectively.
Hartarto said that oil palm has the potential to become an important solution to the threat of a food crisis.
He lauded the stakeholders who helped in preparing the seedlings and ensuring the smooth delivery of the assistance. Furthermore, he welcomed Honduras as the new member of the CPOPC.
Honduras will be officially inducted into the organization in May 2023. Currently, the country is still an observer country of the CPOPC.
Hartarto emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation among palm oil-producing countries.
He said he expects the CPOPC to strengthen its contribution to the development of cooperation in the palm oil sector in the future.
"This germinated seedling assistance is a first step toward better cooperation between palm oil-producing countries," he added.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of CPOPC, Rizal Affandi Lukman, said that the assistance will be distributed to 337 farmers in Honduras, according to the Communication and Information Ministry's InfoPublik website. He said the seedlings will be planted on 510 hectares of the 4,988 hectares of oil palm plantations damaged by the Eta and Iota hurricanes on November 20, 2020.
Currently, Indonesia and Malaysia are the only member countries of the CPOPC.
In addition to Honduras, Colombia, Ghana, and Papua New Guinea are observer countries of the organization.