11/09/2007 (Antara News), Jakarta - The crude palm oil (CPO) issue will be one of the topics of discussion in the International Trade Conference of Young Moslem Entrepreneurs to in Jakarta on August 9 to 18, 2008.

Speaking in a short phone interview here on Wednesday, General Chairman of the Indonesian Young Moslem Entrepreneurs (GAPMI) Lahmudin Mamala said it would be important to raise the CPO issue with Malaysia during the conference, because villagers had a tendency to cultivate oil palm trees. They had even switched from rubber to oil palm which they believed was more profitable.

Hence, in the next three to two years, there will be a boom in oil palm fruit production as many small holder oil palm plantations built by individuals in the villages have started bearing fruits. Once an oil palm tree starts bearing fruits, there is no end to it, as it is not restricted to a harvesting season.

According to him, many Malaysian entrepreneurs made an investment in oil palm estates in Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan. Some of them also encouraged other people in the village to grow oil palm trees.

"Malaysia is only second to Indonesia as the world`s biggest CPO production country. Many of oil palm fruits in Malaysia are imported from Indonesia and then produced there into CPO," he said.

Actually, Malaysia`s claim that the CPO is their own production is really no big problem to the oil palm growers in Indonesia, he said.

In this context, Indonesian young moslem intrepreneurs during the conference should appeal to participants from other countries to establish a cooperation on CPO or in the construction of more CPO factories and others, he added.

Furthermore, Lahmuddin said GAPMI in cooperation with PT. Perhutani Alam Wisata (Palawi) as the organizing committee among young moslem entrepreneurs in global era. "Young moslem entrepreneurs should be able to make use of global market."

It is for that purpose that the conference will try to seek the right formula to be developed by the young entrepreneurs in trade in the global era, he said.

The delegates invited to the conference will come from 59 Islamic and non Islamic countries. "Their participation in the conference will open wider business opportunity to young moslem entrepreneurs," he said.

It is for that purpose, the participants of the conference will have big chance to have business contacts and a close look at the products put on display during the conference.

Initiated by GAPMI, the conference aimed at anticipating global trade much ascertained by trade, cooperation, development of technology and information as well as trade networks.

The vision, according to him, was designed to strengthen trade relations among young moslem entrepreneurs in the world.(*)