Asian Palm Oil Alliance, CPOPC, and Solidaridad Sign Tripartite MoU to Promote Sustainable Palm Oil in India.

In September 2025, the Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA), Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), and Solidaridad Network Asia Limited (SNAL) signed a three-year tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to strengthen producer–consumer cooperation and drive sustainability across the palm oil value chain in India and South Asia.

      - A Joint Working Group (JWG) will oversee the MoU’s implementation. The JWG is co-chaired by APOA and CPOPC, with Solidaridad acting as the Technical Secretariat, ensuring coordination and monitoring of sustainable practices over the three-year period.

      - The MoU aims to align and harmonize palm oil sustainability standards across countries, including Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO), and Indian Palm Oil Sustainability (IPOS) frameworks, facilitating consistent and credible sustainability certification.

      - The initiative focuses on traceable, smallholder-inclusive, and NDPE-compliant (No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation) sourcing. Pilot projects will use SoliTrace (Solidaridad’s digital traceability tool) and remote-sensing techniques to monitor production and ensure sustainability along the value chain.

Main Point :-   (i) The MoU emphasizes supply chain transparency and importer-oriented data platforms to support the needs of over 1.5 billion consumers in South Asia. This ensures stable sourcing, efficient logistics, and improved compliance with sustainability standards.

      (ii) India imports over 60% of its edible oil demand, making it a key market for sustainable sourcing initiatives. In August 2025, India’s palm oil imports rose by nearly 16% to 9.9 lakh tonnes, highlighting the strategic importance of aligning imported palm oil with sustainability standards.