Meeting The Dutch PM, Minister Of Trade Zulhas Lobby For The Elimination Of Indonesian Palm Oil Discrimination In Europe

Photo: Doc. Ministry of Trade

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan accompanied President Joko Widodo in a bilateral meeting with Dutch Prime Minister (PM) Mark Rutte in New Delhi, India this weekend. The meeting was held on the sidelines of India's G20 Summit.

The Minister of Trade revealed that the discussion refers to several things, including in the field of development, economy, the Indonesian registration process as a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and cooperation talks in ASEAN.

"The meeting discussed bilateral relations in various sectors, one of which was Indonesia encouraging cooperation for energy transition and development of low-carbon technology," he said as reported by the official website today, Minggi, September 10.

Trade Minister Zulhas, Zulkifli Hasan's nickname, specifically conveyed the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) policy.

According to him, EUDR can inhibit the export of Indonesian agricultural products and plantations, especially palm oil, to the European Union.

"Indonesia encourages the abolition of EUDR so as not to discriminate against Indonesia's main commodities," he said.

For information, in January 'July 2023, the total trade between Indonesia and the Netherlands was recorded at USD 2.73 billion. In this period, Indonesia's exports to the Netherlands were recorded at USD 2.17 billion, while Indonesia's imports from the Netherlands were recorded at USD 559.60 million. During that period, Indonesia enjoyed a surplus of USD 1.61 billion.

Meanwhile, in 2022, the total trade between the two countries reached 6.23 billion US dollars with the value of Indonesia's exports to the Netherlands recorded 5.38 billion US dollars while Indonesia's imports from the Netherlands were recorded at 855.50 million US dollars. That year, Indonesia had a trade surplus of 4.52 billion US dollars.

Indonesia's main export products to the Netherlands include industrial monocarboxylate fatty acids, palm oil and their factions, oil mangkil and other solid residues, kopra coconuts, and saturated acyclic monocarboxylates.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's imported products from the Netherlands include paper or cardboard paper, kupas waste and screens from plastic, processed foods, tensions and other fats, as well as shallots and garlic.