RI Still Optimistic About Listing CPO Products

Jakarta, Sept 18 (Antara) - Indonesia is still optimistic about its effort to put national Crude palm Oil (CPO) products into Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation`s (APEC) environmentally goods list despite cold reaction from other members of the organization, minister said. "We fail to enlist our cpo products into environmentally goods list last year, yet we are still optimistic about this. At least we have created a pathway, I am optimistic that something positive will happen in the future," Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said here on Wednesday. In 2012, APEC leaders agreed on a list of 54 environmental goods produced in the region which can get tariff reductions of up to five percent or less by 2015. Among products included on the list are renewable and clean energy technologies, waste-water treatment technologies, air pollution control technologies and environmental monitoring and assessment equipment. APEC economies believe that reducing tariffs on environmental goods will demonstrate its commitment to pursuing green growth objectives, addressing climate change and securing sustainable economic development. Indonesia during the 2012 APEC meeting had actually proposed its CPO and rubber products to be included on the environmental goods list. However the request was rejected due to objection from some economies. This year Indonesia as host of APEC meetings make an effort to lobby other members and discuss the possibility of Indonesia`s CPO products being listed as environmentally goods. However the effort fails as ministers of APEC decide to concentrate more on the existing 54 goods agreed last 2012. Earlier Chairman of Indonesian Employers Associations (APINDO) Sofjan Wanandi also asked the Government to promote palm oil as a environmental goods item in APEC. "If we don`t make serious efforts to make the APEC economies recognize palm oil as an environmental goods item, our business will continue to be hampered in the global market," he said.