REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA -- The Indonesian Association of Palm Oil Companies (Gapki) said the West will continue attacks on the country's palm oil industry through local and foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

"In spite of all explanations we have given that the allegations against us are all false , they would not stop attacking us," secretary general of GAPKI Togar Sitanggang said here on Tuesday.

The West, through NGOs have continued to accuse Indonesian palm oil companies of destroying the country's forest and call for boycott on Indonesian palm oil.

"Whatever explanation we give, it would be to no effect as what they are after is the market for their edible oils," an Indonesian palm oil producer has said.

"The West wants to weaken and kill Indonesian palm oil industry as they could not face palm oil in a fair competition in the market of edible oils," Togar told a journalist workshop on peat land for sustainable oil palm cultivation held in this ancient Central Java city.

The West has also launched 'black campaign' that palm oil caused health hazard, he said.

They said that Indonesia oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly sacrificing the country's tropical forests, he added.

He said the West is not fair in launching the accusation saying the world's oil palm oil plantations had expanded only 13.39 percent over the past several years as against soybean plantations expanding 85.45 percent and sun flower plantations expanding 18.05 percent.

Similarly false was that oil palm industry were less labor intensive saying the number of workers of palm oil industry rose from 2.1 million in 2000 to 8.4 million in 2015.

He said the black campaigns launched by the West through NGOs has been motivated by business interest.

Palm oil and derivatives are used not only for cooking oil but also used to feed cosmetics , pharmaceutical, tire, and food and beverage industries , he said.

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