Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia plans to raise its mandatorypalm oil-based biodiesel blending to 40% in the next few years, but for nowwill keep it unchanged at 35%, its Minister for Energy & Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif has said.
SinceFebruary, the world's biggest palm oil producer has raised mandatory blending from 30% to 35%. However, the requirement has not beenfully implemented in some areas.
Arifin said Indonesia wants to maximise the use ofdomestic resources and reduce dependency on crude oil, and authorities havecompleted research and road tests for B40.
Eddy Abdurrachman, CEO of Indonesia's CPO fundagency, said the ministry is pushing the B35 mandate to be fullyimplemented by August 1.
According to leading industry officials andanalysts, Indonesia'sbiodiesel policy and the likely emergence of the El Ninoweather pattern could further strain global inventories of the most usedcooking oil, lifting palm oil prices this year./.
