The fourth Sustainable Vegetable Oils Conference brought producers, consumers, industry players and sustainability experts together to strengthen cooperation and build more resilient vegetable oil value chains amid shifting policies and global trade dynamics.
PALMOILMAGAZINE, SHANGHAI — Innovation, productivity and cross-border cooperation took center stage at the fourth Sustainable Vegetable Oils Conference (SVOC) in Shanghai, as producers and consumers sought to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of global vegetable oil supply chains.
Organized by the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) on Oct. 27, 2026, the conference carried the theme “Sustainability Alignment, Resilient Value Chains” and brought together more than 200 participants from 11 countries.
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Held at the InterContinental Hotel Shanghai, the forum brought together government officials, industry executives, international organizations and experts representing palm oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil and other vegetable oils.
Discussions focused on how producers and consuming countries can improve efficiency, transparency and sustainability while maintaining productivity and competitiveness as global markets face shifting regulations, price volatility and evolving demand.
CPOPC Secretary-General Izzana Salleh said supply-chain resilience requires closer cooperation between producing and consuming countries, particularly as relative price movements and regulatory uncertainty influence purchasing decisions, trade flows and investment confidence.
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“Relative price movements can shift purchasing decisions across vegetable oils, while regulatory uncertainty can affect trade flows and investment confidence,” Izzana said in a statement received by PalmOilMagazine.
She said resilient supply chains depend on more than production capacity. Reliable market information, diversified trading relationships, efficient logistics and predictable policy frameworks are equally important to maintaining stable vegetable oil trade.
“Supply-chain resilience requires reliable market information, diversified trade relationships, efficient logistics and predictable policy frameworks,” she said.
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Closer engagement between producers and buyers is also needed to align supply commitments, sustainability expectations and commercial incentives, Izzana added.
Palm Oil Remains a Global Market Anchor
Global vegetable oil production is projected at around 234 million tons in 2026, with palm oil accounting for approximately 85 million tons, or more than one-third of total output, according to projections presented at the conference.
The scale of palm oil production reinforces its strategic role in meeting global food and industrial demand. Palm oil markets are also closely linked with other vegetable oils through international trade, price formation, product substitution and changes in consumer demand.
Producers nevertheless face common challenges, including land management, climate resilience, sustainability requirements and increasingly complex market-access standards.
Against this backdrop, knowledge sharing and innovation are becoming increasingly important to building more productive and resilient vegetable oil value chains.
China Emerges as a Strategic Vegetable Oil Market
China was a major focus of SVOC 2026 because of its position as a large vegetable oil consumer and a strategic trading partner for producing countries.
China’s vegetable oil consumption was estimated at 35.8 million tons in 2025, including approximately 5.07 million tons of palm oil, highlighting the scale of potential cooperation between producers and consumers in developing sustainable trade.
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In a keynote address, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto emphasized the importance of improving smallholder productivity without relying on further plantation expansion.
Malaysia’s Minister of Plantation and Commodities, YB Datuk Seri Dr. Noraini Ahmad, stressed the need for sustainability standards that support producers’ access to global markets. Malaysia also called for deeper cooperation with China in technology, research and market development.
Honduras Deputy Minister for Coffee Cultivation José Francisco Ordóñez highlighted the importance of credible traceability systems to demonstrate sustainable production practices and strengthen cooperation between China, CPOPC and Latin American producing countries.
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Innovation Key to Productivity Gains
The first session, “Driving Sustainability through Productivity and Innovation,” examined agricultural technology, improved planting material, mechanization, precision agronomy and sustainability standards as tools for improving vegetable oil production efficiency.
The session opened with remarks from Indonesia’s Ambassador to China, Djauhari Oratmangun, and brought together industry and sustainability representatives to discuss approaches to raising productivity while maintaining environmental responsibility.
Speakers included Mohd Hasbollah Suparyono of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO), Dr. Chen Zi Yan of Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK), Caroline Xu of AAK China, Chen Ying of the China Customs Brokers Association, and Harry Hanawi of Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food.
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Lifeng Fang of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) moderated the session, while Yu Xin of WWF China served as the principal respondent.
The discussion also examined China’s role in facilitating sustainable vegetable oil trade, expanding market access and improving transparency across commodity supply chains.
Green Policies and Market Shifts Add Pressure
The second session, “Building Competitive and Resilient Vegetable Oil Value Chains amid Evolving Policies, Standards and Market Demand,” examined how policy changes, regulations and market requirements are reshaping vegetable oil value chains in both producing and consuming countries.
Topics included Indonesia’s B50 biodiesel policy, Malaysia’s palm-based biofuel development, and efforts by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Papua New Guinea to strengthen their palm oil value chains and support smallholders.
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The session featured Wang Xin of the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO) under China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment; Yang Junyi of World Resources Institute China; Dr. Dadan Kusdiana, Secretary-General of Indonesia’s National Energy Council; and Dr. Mohd Hefni Rusli, Deputy Director-General for Research and Development at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
Producer-country perspectives were also presented by Monique Gieskes, CEO of Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kepson Pupita, Secretary-General of Papua New Guinea’s Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC).
Langlang Tata Buana of Proforest examined how policies and standards affect practices throughout the supply chain, while Li Sifan of the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products (CFNA) served as the principal respondent.
CPOPC Seeks Stronger Producer-Consumer Cooperation
Through SVOC, CPOPC is seeking to deepen dialogue among producing and consuming countries, industry players, research institutions and sustainability partners.
The conference underscored the growing need to connect sustainability objectives with productivity, market competitiveness and supply-chain resilience.
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For the global vegetable oil industry, the challenge is increasingly to deliver higher productivity and reliable supplies while meeting more demanding sustainability standards and navigating rapidly changing trade and energy policies.
CPOPC hopes the SVOC platform will move beyond dialogue toward concrete cooperation aimed at improving productivity, strengthening transparency and developing vegetable oil supply chains that are more sustainable, resilient and competitive in global markets. (P3)
