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JAKARTA: CPO and derivative products (fatty acid and glycerin) from Indonesia are exempted from the European Commission's REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals).
REACH is a regulation on chemical materials and their safe consumption. The regulation requires producers and importers in the European Union to register products using chemical substance produced or imported.
The decision on the exemptions of CPO and derivative products from the REACH requirement is inked in the Guidance for Annex V, Exemptions from the Obligation to Register) issued by the Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in April 2010.
Minister of Trade Mari Elka Pangestu revealed the exemption would eliminate specific barriers on some Indonesian exported products.
In the previous guidance, the EU didn't specifically categorize CPO as a chemical substance-free product, triggering worries the policy would impose barriers on Indonesian exporters.
"The European Commission has exempted CPO and derivative products from the list of dangerous chemical substance, thus, further exempting them from the obligation to register. We think this is good news for Indonesia since CPO export to the EU has made the highest contribution," Mari informed in a press release that Bisnis received last night.
Mari explained since the EU Parliament issued Regulation 1907/2006 on REACH on December 18, 2006, the government had been trying to protect Indonesia's interest in the global trade by lobbying the European Commission.
Indonesia, he added, was concerned with CPO export to the EU since the export value to the EU was quite huge and always increased every year.
In 2007, CPO export reached US$1.07 billion and it surged to US$2.01 billion in 2008 and US$2.26 billion in 2009. (Bisnis/may)
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http://www.bisnis.com/pls/bisnis/bisnis.cetak?inw_id=739765
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