Indonesian farmers decry palm oil export ban as prices plummet

Small-scale farmers say Jakarta’s ban on palm oil exports has thrown their livelihoods into jeopardy

Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil,  has struggled with rising prices and low stocks of cooking oil amid a surge in global prices of the raw ingredient, Qazet.az reports.

Citing the need to control the price spikes, which have been exacerbated by the Ukraine war, disappointing harvests and the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced in April a ban on exports of palm oil and palm oil products.