JAKARTA, May 17 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Indonesian smallholder farmers on Tuesday staged a protest in the capital Jakarta and in other parts of the world’s fourth most populous country, demanding the government end a palm oil export ban that has slashed their income. Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil exporter, has since April 28 halted shipments of crude palm oil and some of its derivative products in a bid to control soaring prices of domestic cooking oil, rattling global vegetable oil markets. Marching alongside a truck filled with palm oil fruit, farmers held a rally outside the offices of the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is leading the government policy. “Malaysian farmers are wearing full smiles, Indonesian farmers suffer,” one of the signs held up by protesters read.Malaysia is the second-largest producer of palm oil and has said it aims to supply markets left open by Indonesia’s export… read more
