Asian Palm Oil Alliance And Council For Palm Oil Producing Countries To Build A Stable And Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chain

(MENAFN- ForPressRelease) Mumbai, India, 24 September 2025 : APOA, the CPOPC and Solidaridad today announced a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen producer and consumer collaboration and accelerate sustainability across the palm oil value chain. Signed in Mumbai, the MOU creates a formal platform to harmonise approaches, address market volatility and strengthen inclusion of smallholders, with a special focus on India and South Asia.

"At a time when food security and price stability are front of mind for families and businesses across South Asia, this partnership gives producers and consumers a formal table to strengthen collaboration and foster mutual understanding in addressing shared challenges." Atul Chaturvedi, Chairman, APOA

A partnership built for resilience, fairness and inclusion

Under this MoU, with CPOPC serving as a catalyst and advocate for sustainable palm oil, the Parties will pursue practical alignment and mutual recognition among national sustainability frameworks including Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Indian Palm Oil Sustainability (IPOS) Framework while fully respecting each country's laws and regulatory competencies. The collaboration also prioritises regenerative practices.

To strengthen stability and predictability of supply for more than 1.5 billion consumers in South Asia, the Parties will promote traceable, smallholder-inclusive and NDPE-compliant (No Deforestation, No Peat, and No Exploitation) sourcing, with pilots that use Solidaridad's SoliTrace traceability tool and complementary remote-sensing tools to enable mill-to-market visibility. The MoU also provides for importer-facing dashboards tailored to Indian buyers Parties also agreed to create a Joint Working Group co-chaired by APOA and CPOPC, with Solidaridad as the Technical Secretariat. The group will oversee workplans, monitor progress and coordiate joint communications and advocacy efforts.

Leaders' statements

"By working with producing countries, we can build informed awareness that encourages responsible choices and strengthens health outcomes, economic resilience and environmental stewardship." said Dr B. V. Mehta, Executive Director, Solvent Extractors' Association of India. "This initiative will help Indian and South Asian consumers to have a clear, evidence- based information on palm oil's nutritional profile, its role in keeping edible oils affordable, and the progress producers are making to protect forests and support smallholders."

"This collaboration signals our collective commitment to a responsible palm oil production and consumption for a long-term market confidence," said Izzana Salleh, Secretary General of CPOPC. "CPOPC bridges the gap between producers and consumer markets by upholding fair-trade principles and evidence-based dialogue. We call for alignment with nationally mandated sustainability frameworks and guarantee that smallholders' livelihoods remain integral to every solution."

"Consumers in India and across South Asia deserve edible oils that are affordable, traceable and responsibly produced," said Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay, Managing Director, Solidaridad Asia. "Our role is to ensure that sustainability is practical for producers and meaningful for buyers. By bringing credible data, smallholder support and market insight to this partnership, we will help build confidence across the supply chain and deliver benefits that reach farmers and consumers alike."

APOA, the apex body that convenes vegetable-oil associations from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal under the umbrella of India's Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA), will represent the interests of Asia's major consumer markets. SEA presently hosts APOA's secretariat in Mumbai. CPOPC, the intergovernmental organisation of palm oil producing countries founded by Indonesia and Malaysia and joined by other producer nations, will lead on producer priorities.

Solidaridad will serve as the technical sustainability partner. Solidaridad will act as the bridge across the partnership, providing technical support on standards alignment, digital traceability and smallholder inclusion, with a focus on evidence-based, data-driven solutions such as SoliTrace.

About the Partners

Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA)

APOA is the apex alliance of vegetable-oil associations from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It operates under the umbrella of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India and hosts its secretariat at SEA's Mumbai office. APOA advances coordinated, sustainable and efficient palm oil trade across Asia.

Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC)

CPOPC is an intergovernmental organization that advances cooperation among palm-oil- producing nations to promote sustainability and fair market access. The Council founded by Indonesia and Malaysia in 2015 is now joined by Honduras, Papua New Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Colombia, Nigeria, and Ghana as Observer Countries. It engages governments, industry, and stakeholders to support smallholders, strengthen national sustainability frameworks, and foster balanced producer–consumer dialogue.

Solidaridad Network Asia Limited (SNAL)

SNAL is the Asia regional entity of Solidaridad Network, an international civil society organisation working to build sustainable, resource-efficient and inclusive supply chains. It supports market-oriented solutions for sustainable sourcing, with programmes that combine traceability, smallholder support and responsible business practices.

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