Dispatch from RT10 in Singapore

Ensuring sustainability at the new frontiers of palm oil production

31-Oct-2012 - Last updated on 19-Aug-2020 at 07:36 GMT

Sustainable palm oil production can be a boon for smallholders

Palm oil producers and traders have been looking for new production areas as expansion in environmentally sensitive regions in Southeast Asia has become increasingly difficult - but Latin American and African production must embrace sustainable standards from the beginning, says RSPO secretary general Darrel Webber.

Speaking to FoodNavigator at the tenth annual meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Webber said that the organisation's membership has doubled in just the past year. New frontier markets have been a major driver, he said.

"For sure, in the future, palm oil going to Europe will come from Africa," said Webber, although in the short term, the great majority of palm oil produced in the continent is likely to be consumed domestically.