Asian Palm Oil Alliance and CPOPC Join Hands with Solidaridad to Build Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chain
The APOA represents major consumer markets across South Asia, hosted by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India
he Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA), the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), and Solidaridad Network Asia Limited (SNAL) have signed a landmark tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen sustainability, traceability, and smallholder inclusion in the palm oil supply chain across South Asia.
The MoU, signed in Mumbai, establishes a formal platform for harmonizing sustainability standards, addressing market volatility, and building resilience in palm oil trade between producing and consuming countries, with a special focus on India and its neighbouring markets.
Focus Areas of the Partnership
Standards Alignment: Practical cooperation on mutual recognition of frameworks such as Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO), and Indian Palm Oil Sustainability (IPOS).
Traceability: Pilots using Solidaridad’s SoliTrace digital tool to enable mill-to-market visibility and importer-facing dashboards tailored to Indian buyers.
Smallholder Inclusion: Expanding training on regenerative practices, strengthening farmer organisations, and ensuring NDPE compliance (No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation).
Policy Coherence: Coordinated advocacy for fair recognition of national standards in international platforms and exploration of sustainability criteria in India’s public procurement.
Leaders’ Voices
Atul Chaturvedi, Chairman, APOA: “This partnership gives producers and consumers a formal table to strengthen collaboration and foster mutual understanding in addressing shared challenges.”
Dr. B. V. Mehta, SEA India: “This initiative will provide South Asian consumers with clear evidence on palm oil’s nutritional profile, affordability, and producers’ sustainability efforts.”
Izzana Salleh, Secretary General, CPOPC: “CPOPC bridges the gap between producers and consumer markets by upholding fair-trade principles and ensuring smallholders’ livelihoods remain central.”
Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay, MD, Solidaridad Asia: “Our role is to ensure sustainability is practical for producers and meaningful for buyers through credible data and market insights.”
Why It Matters
Stable Supply & Price Confidence – Coordinated dialogue to mitigate volatility and shocks.
Inclusive Sustainability – Empowering smallholders with training and finance.
Trust through Traceability – Scaling digital systems for NDPE and compliance verification.
Global Policy Impact – Strengthened advocacy for fair trade and recognition of national standards.
The APOA represents major consumer markets across South Asia, hosted by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA). CPOPC, founded by Indonesia and Malaysia, leads global producer priorities, while Solidaridad acts as the technical sustainability partner, ensuring data-driven solutions for long-term resilience.
