Farmers registered with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Latin America have produced 2M tonnes of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), the RSPO announced.
The volume represented one-third of total palm oil production in the region, the organisation said on 16 October.
Achieved four years after the region produced a total of 1M tonnes of CSPO, the RSPO said the new volume reflected the consolidated efforts of certified growers and producers in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru, covering a total of 656,000 ha of certified land.
Of all palm oil producing regions, Latin America had achieved the highest level of RSPO certification and remained the world’s fastest growing region in terms of certification, including among smallholder groups, the RSPO said.
Over the past two years, the association said smallholder groups in Colombia and Mexico had gained RSPO certification, while farmers in a smallholder group in Peru had recently become the country’s first RSPO members.
“I urge the region to continue to lead by example by demonstrating how sustainably-produced palm oil provides a viable solution in addressing critical global challenges such as food security and climate change,” RSPO CEO Joseph D’Cruz said.
The RSPO, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next April, has around 200 members in Latin America.
