Indonesian Envoy Highlights Role of Vegetable Oil in Achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals

Faisalabad, May 10, 2023: The International seminar focused on ‘Sustainable Production of Healthy Vegetable Oils: Policies & Practices to Achieving SDGs’ was inaugurated in Faisalabad by H.E. Mr. Adam M. Tugio, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan along with Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF).

The International seminar was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences, UAF.

During the inaugural address, Indonesian Ambassador shared his views that the global population is growing at an unprecedented rate and estimates predict that we will need to produce 70% more food by 2050 to feed the growing population.

“We need the brightest minds and ideas to find creative solutions for addressing growing challenge of food security and malnutrition in developing countries”, said the Envoy.

He further added that vegetable oils are an essential component of the global food supply chain and it is necessary to ensure that their production is sustainable to meet the rising demand.

Ambassador Tugio also said that palm oil production is a crucial element in the global food value chain as it is a vital source of calories for millions of people and its production is very efficient which requires less land and water, resulting in minimal environmental issues.

Ambassador Tugio welcomed the academic collaboration of University of Agriculture Faisalabad with Bogor Agriculture University (IPB), one of world’s top universities in Agriculture research. He encouraged the Pakistani students to study in top QS ranked Indonesian universities through Indonesian government and private scholarships offered by Indonesian institutions.

Prof Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, the Vice-Chancellor of UAF expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian Embassy for their contributions and collaborative efforts that have significantly strengthened the academic relations between the two brotherly nations.

During the seminar, panelists from Indonesia were represented by Prof. Dr. Amzul Rifin, SP, MA from Faculty of Economics and Management, Institute of Agriculture Bogor (IPB) and Mr. Djono Albar Burhan, S. Kom, MMgt, (Intl. BUS), CC. CL. from Indonesian Palm Oil Smallholders Association. Speaking on the occasion, both speakers presented their productive research in Vegetable oils to participating students and research scholars.

Prof. Dr. Amzul Rifin pointed out that Indonesian government launched Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil Certification (ISPO) in 2011 aimed at improving the competitiveness of the Indonesian palm oil on the global market and contribute to the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Djono Albar Burhan shared with the PhD research scholars and faculty members of the UAF that palm oil is the only vegetable oil that has the Sustainable Certification and it produces more oil with less land use.

He further noted that palm oil has the high productivity level of 4.27 tonnes per hectare per year if compared with other vegetable oils and it contributes to fulfill the UN sustainable development goals.

Dr. Masood Sadiq Butt, Dean of the Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences, UAF underscored the important of organising the international seminars and conferences on the subject to get better understanding on the contribution of vegetable oils for food security.

Today’s seminar, he added, would pave the way for further engagements in the form of collaborative research conducted by researchers of the UAF and its Indonesian counterpart, Bogor Institute of Agriculture.

The world’s largest noodle manufacturer, Indofood which recently commenced operations in the Special Economic Zone in Faisalabad, presented souvenirs to students and industry professionals at the conclusion of the event.